Albus Potter and the Puppetmaster's Plans
by SpikeQueen
Summary: Albus Potter and Rose Weasley are just beginning their first year at Hogwarts. As they form new and unlikely friendships, they must face a new threat together, bigger than the last. This dark force thinks it can complete what Voldemort didn't. Albus and his friends must prepare for a whole new adventure as they try to discover the plans.
1. Chapter 1: King's Cross

**Hi there! I'm new here at , and I've been trying to write a story for Albus Potter. I know it's a little late, considering the last movie came out like 2 years ago, but I thought it would be cool. Anyways, I'll try to do weekly uploads, but I can't promise anything. I've uploaded the first five chapters so you guys can get a general idea, and there will be more coming your way. Enjoy, and please review!**

**Note: All characters, objects, and plot lines from Harry Potter legally belong to J.K. Rowling. I do not own any previously created figments of that book series. **

**Chapter 1: King's Cross**

Albus Severus Potter stepped nervously onto the Hogwarts Express. His best friend, Rose Weasley, stood next to him, her wild red curls blowing madly in the wind as she waved goodbye to her parents. Albus quickly found himself doing the same. Their parents blew them their last few kisses, and ended their teary goodbye. As the train finally pulled away from the station, Albus and Rose walked along the corridor searching for a compartment. As he passed by one of them, he noticed a boy with white-blonde hair and piercing gray eyes sitting glumly in a compartment full of people wearing Slytherin robes. Scorpius Malfoy. Their eyes met for a moment, but then Scorpius scowled and looked away. Albus, taken aback, rolled his eyes and moved along. Apparently some things never changed.

Finally, Rose spotted a compartment with just one girl who had jet black hair and stunning, ocean-blue eyes.

"Hello, do you mind if we sit here?" Rose asked politely. "Everywhere else is full."

She eyed the two of them, then smiled and nodded. "Of course; it would be lovely to have some company."

"So," Albus started. "What's your name?"

"Sapphire," she answered. "Sapphire Todesworth."

Rose smiled, and then replied. "Nice to meet you. I'm Rose Weasley and this is Albus Potter."

Sapphire, who had been drinking from a bottle of water, suddenly sprayed it out of her mouth. "The Albus Potter? As in son of Harry Potter? And Rose Weasley, daughter of Hermione and Ronald Weasley?"

Albus and Rose, quite used to these reactions, just nodded.

Her mouth dropped open. "Wow," she said. "It must be awesome to have the Golden Trio as your parents. Although I wouldn't know. But hey, I bet you guys will get O's in History of Magic and Defence against the Dark Arts! Good thing, too, I hear Professor Binns is a complete bore."

Albus laughed. "It certainly comes with its perks, but the attention can get annoying. For one thing, it makes me nervous being the center of attention, and people keep expecting me to be just like my dad."

Sapphire nodded understandingly. "Well, don't worry! I judge people on what they're like, not their parents! Anyways, what house do you think you guys will get into?"

Rose said "Well, I'm hoping for Gryffindor like my parents, but Ravenclaw wouldn't be bad either."

Albus said nothing, remembering James' taunting on the car ride here and on the platform.

"Why aren't you saying anything, Albus?" asked Sapphire.

Rose said "Oh, you're not still worrying about what James said, are you? Don't worry, you won't be in Slytherin! He was just teasing!"

Albus stared at them. "But what if I am in Slytherin? Mom and Dad will probably disinherit me, like Uncle Ron said!"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Please, Al, you and I both know he was joking. Your parents would be proud of you anywhere."

"Yeah," Sapphire chimed in. "Besides, what's so bad about being in Slytherin? I mean, sure it's for the evil, and where dark wizards go, and everyone hates them, and...I lost my train of thought." She joked.

Noticing Albus' expression, she cringed and apologized. "I was just kidding! Honestly, there's nothing wrong with being in Slytherin. It can also mean you're clever and ambitious, not just sneaky."

Albus sighed, and agreed to what they said so they wouldn't push the topic further. He quickly started talking about Quidditch, getting Sapphire and Rose in a heated discussion of their favourite teams and who had a shot at winning the World Cup. As they argued, Albus stared out the window, wondering about the consequences of being sorted in Slytherin. Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw would be alright too, but not Slytherin. Not after everything he heard. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't even realize that the train had stopped until Rose nudged him and helped him up.

"Firs' years over here! Firs' years over here!" shouted a familiar voice.

"Hagrid!" Albus beamed and ran over to hug him as Rose did the same thing. Sapphire just stared at the two of them with a mixture of surprise and confusion. Albus quickly explained about Hagrid being a family friend, and the gamekeeper and professor here at Hogwarts. Sapphire regained her composure and politely offered a hand in greeting. Smiling, all three of them headed towards the boats.

Hagrid stopped them, and asked nervously, "Would one of you mind going across with the Malfoy boy over there? With me in the boat, I don't think all three of you could travel across."

Rose looked over at them, and seeing that they didn't want to, she sighed. "I'll go."

She headed over while Hagrid thanked her profusely. Sapphire chattered away about classes at the castle, while a feeling of uneasiness settled over Albus as they neared it. The fear of where he would be sorted began to overtake him again. However, there was no time to dwell on it now, as the boats neared the shore. When they got down, he couldn't help but notice that Rose had an angry expression on her face. But before he could ask her what was wrong, he missed his chance. Hagrid led the first years to a large door and knocked three times. Here it was. Hogwarts.


	2. Chapter 2: The Sorting Ceremony

**Chapter 2: The Sorting Ceremony**

As the first years entered the Great Hall, they gasped in awe and wonder.

"The ceiling is bewitched to look like the night sky," Rose whispered excitedly.

Albus was about to make a sarcastic response, but it looked like Scorpius Malfoy beat him to it.

"And you're ugly. What, are we just stating the obvious now, Weasley?" He said in a sarcastic drawl.

Rose scowled and turned away. Albus was going to make a snappy retort, but Headmistress McGonagall was starting her speech.

"Welcome, students, to another year at the magnificent Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Our caretaker, Filch, has asked me to remind you that all products from Zonko's Joke Shop or Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes are banned, and will be confiscated if you are found in possession of them. Again, the Forbidden Forest is obviously, forbidden. If it were not, it would be called the Come-In Forest, or the You're-Allowed Forest." She glanced at James as she spoke these words, as he was grinning at Fred and Louis, two of Albus' cousins. "There will be a change in staffing. Filling in for Professor Rilington while she is on maternity leave, we are pleased to welcome Professor Harry Potter for our Defence against the Dark Arts position."

At these words, Albus perked up. How could he not notice his own father sitting at the table? At first, he was jubilant at the thought that his father would be there to take care of everything. But then his stomach lurched. What if he was sorted into Slytherin in front of him? He would be a disgrace to the family. It was bad enough that James and most of his cousins were here. As if Professor McGonagall heard his thoughts, she announced the beginning of the Sorting ceremony, and Neville (or Professor Longbottom, as Albus probably had to address him as now) started to read names of his scroll.

"Adams, Evelyn!" Neville called. The sorting hat bellowed "HUFFLEPUFF!" as soon as the hat touched her head.

This went on for a while. Albus yawned, feeling bored as the names went on. Finally, he heard a name he was interested in.

"Malfoy, Scorpius!" The Great Hall broke out into loud whispers.

"He's that Malfoy kid!" "Looks evil to me..." "Why the formality? Just put him in Slytherin!"

Albus had to agree with that last one. After what he had heard, he wondered if there was another house that would welcome him.

The Sorting Hat was seemingly arguing with Malfoy; it was around ten minutes when the crease in the folds of the hat opened and announced "GRYFFINDOR!"

Albus gaped, as did the rest of the Great Hall. Even the professors looked flabbergasted. Apparently, Malfoy was too, as he wrenched the hat off his head and stared at it. After what seemed like forever, Albus heard a light applause coming from the staff table. There, his father was clapping quietly with a smile on his face. After a few moments, the Gryffindors joined in, but only did so half-heartedly.

Professor Longbottom, hiding his look of shock, continued with the list like nothing happened. Finally, he reached the P's, and Albus was called up to the hat. Feeling nervous, he stumbled forward. However, his dad nodded at him encouragingly, and Albus went up to the stool and put the hat on.

"Ah, another child from the Potter-Weasley clan! It seems as though there are a never-ending supply of you. Hmm...I sense great intelligence...but Ravenclaw would not be quite right for you...no doubt you have loyalty, but Hufflepuff wouldn't take you to the top..."

_Please not Slytherin, I don't want to be in Slytherin! All my friends will be in Gryffindor! _Albus thought.

"Yes, but are you your friends Mr. Potter? No badgering me now! See what I did there?" The hat chuckled at his terrible pun. "Anyways, I've made my choice...Slytherin will help you rise to greatness...no, you don't want to be Slytherin? I suppose you think you're being brave..."

_No, _Albus thought, shaking his head vigorously. _I'm not being brave, I just think it's the right house for me._

"What would you know about houses, Potter? That's for me to decide, and for you to find out. I sense something...else in you. Perhaps a fear of sorts." Again, the hat chuckled at a pun it made.

Albus rolled his eyes. _No, I'm not afraid of where I'll be sorted!_ He thought desperately; trying to make the hat believe he was brave. _You said it yourself, none of the other houses were right for me!_

"No, I said Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were not the best choices. I said nothing for Slytherin. But I sense a family honour you must gain...I know the real you, Mr. Potter. I can only hope you come to the same thought as me in due time. For now...well I think I know what to do with you now...GRYFFINDOR!"

For a moment, Albus sat there, stunned. Then, the Gryffindor table erupted with applause and Albus noticed his father was clapping hard too. Smiling as though he hadn't a care in the world, he skipped to the Gryffindor table, feeling a great weight lift off of him. He thought about the Sorting Hat's words, but deided to forget about them, knowing he was a Gryffindor and he always would be; completely proud of it. James hugged him, and said "I always knew you would be in Gryffindor!"

Albus looked at him in disbelief and said "But all week you've been telling me I'd be in Slytherin!"

"Well, what are big brothers for if they don't annoy their siblings?" James replied, grinning.

Albus smiled back and sat next to him. As he watched the rest of the sorting, Sapphire and Rose were sorted into Gryffindor with him as well. The feast began, and Albus began to stuff himself with potatoes, chicken, and shepherd's pie. Just when he thought it couldn't get any better, desserts arrived, and he found himself trying to force down some treacle tart. He sighed with happiness, and was taken to the dormitories with the prefects. "Boys on the left, girls on the right!" They yelled. Albus, Sapphire, and Rose bid each other good night, and scattered to their dorms. The other boys started talking about Quidditch, and Albus joined in for a while. Then, he went back to his bed, which was incidentally next to Scorpius Malfoy's. He hadn't said a word since the time he was sorted. _Ah well, _Albus thought. _Can't let him bring me down. I've made a friend, was sorted into Gryffindor...what could go wrong?_ With these thoughts, Albus slowly fell asleep, not realizing how much could and would actually go wrong.


	3. Chapter 3: Scorpius' Perspective

**Chapter 3: Scorpius' Perspective**

Scorpius sighed as he woke up the next morning. It would be his first day of classes. This would assumedly not be very enjoyable, seeing as he was a traitor to the Slytherins and an enemy to the Gryffindors. In truth, he probably could've had some friends if he were a little nicer. He glanced at the Potter boy sleeping in the bed next to his. Perhaps they could be friends...except insulting his cousin probably did nothing to start the foundation of a healthy friendship. He actually had no idea why he was being so insulting...back in the boat; she had tried to start a conversation.

"So, your name is Scorpius, right? Scorpius Malfoy?" Rose Weasley asked.

"Yup." Scorpius replied quietly. He was really in no mood for a conversation. A compartment of Slytherins and soon-to-be Slytherins had invited him, and seeing nowhere else to sit, he had taken up the offer. They had spent the entire ride to Hogwarts insulting the Potter-Weasley family and talking about pranks to play on the Gryffindors when they arrived. They also mentioned that anyone in Gryffindor would be "dead to them" as they put it.

"What house do you think you'll be sorted into?" Rose asked in another attempt to end the awkward silence.

"Hopefully not one where students have filthy mudblood mothers!" Scorpius snapped. He was just thinking about what would happen if he wasn't sorted in Slytherin. He worried that people would look at him cruelly, and he got enough of that already, being a Malfoy. He didn't even know why he said it, and immediately regretted it after looking at Rose's expression.

"Well hopefully I won't be sorted in a house with arrogant, pure-blood maniacs who are rude to everyone they meet!" She retorted angrily.

Scorpius tried to form words to apologize, but he didn't see how he could explain why he said that without sounding stupid. Instead, he just turned away to immerse himself in his thoughts.

Apparently, this was the wrong thing to do, as Rose just blew up at him. Clearly she had taken his turning away to mean he disagreed with what she said, and meant what he told her earlier.

When they reached the Great Hall, she commented on the magnificent ceiling. He took this opportunity to vent his frustration with the Slytherins and his annoyance at her refusal to forgive him. Then again, it's not like he actually apologized, so he could see where she was coming from.

And his sorting...his sorting was extremely odd. Gryffindor, of all houses? The Sorting Hat seemed a bit confusing to him; talking a lot about how he had to find his 'inner self'. What was that supposed to mean? Scorpius was still sure the wrong decision had been reached. The hat seemed a bit reluctant, but somehow managed to tell Scorpius "it was sure he was going to make the right decision in the end; when the time came". He hated that the Sorting Hat knew everything about you, but that captured his attention, since he did not want to live up to his family's Death Eater reputation, but rather his own. He also noticed the Weasley girl scowling at him when he headed over to the Gryffindor table.

Back in the present, Scorpius sighed again, regretting his words. Of course, he hadn't meant it when he said she was ugly. She was actually very pretty, the way her deep red curls framed her heart-shaped face...how her skin was that perfect complexion...Scorpius mentally slapped himself. There was no way the two of them would ever get together. No way. Besides, they were only 11.

Trying to forget everything that happened, Scorpius pulled out some parchment and began to write.

_Dear Mother and Father,_

_I have not been placed in Slytherin like expected. Nor am I in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. Yes, that's right, I'm in Gryffindor. I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do about it. I argued with the hat for about ten minutes, but it refused to put me elsewhere. I hope I have not disappointed you._

_On other news, I had met some Slytherins on the Hogwarts Express. I highly doubt they will speak to me now, so it looks like I'll have to make some friends here in Gryffindor. Just to inform you._

_Your son,_

_Scorpius Malfoy_

Scorpius checked his clock. It was only 6:30. He had time to take his letter down to the Owlery, and come back to pack his things for classes. He exited through the portrait of the Fat Lady, and headed to the seventh floor to the Owlery. As he was making the final round on the seventh floor staircase, he heard a rustling behind him. Scorpius froze, certain that someone was following him. Silence.

"Impedimenta!" A second year Slytherin shouted.

Scorpius dodged, and pulled out his wand, although he knew that it wasn't much use since he didn't know any magic. However, his father had taught him one spell...

"Expelliarmus!" yelled Scorpius, boldly.

The second year, caught off guard by the fact that he knew a spell, was thrown across the hallway while Scorpius caught his wand. He threw it down the stairs, then rushed to the Owlery and sent his letter before anyone else could attack him. Thankfully, he didn't meet anyone else on the way to the Owlery, or in the Owlery for that matter. He simply sent his letter with his owl, Orion, and quickly regathered his thoughts and wielded his wand in case of another attack. If he was attacked already, no doubt he could expect a lot worse later on. He was simply going to have to fend for himself; just like he had been his entire life. The name "Malfoy" attracted and sent many glares and harsh words his way, and he ignored them, which is what made him strong. Scorpius didn't need anyone's help. Or luck. He was alright by himself.

With one eye over his shoulder, he made his way back to the dorms and sighed. Packing his bag with the books he would need for the day, he put on new clothes and headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. His suspicions were just confirmed. At least the Gryffindors hadn't done anything to him. Yet.


	4. Chapter 4: Classes and Quidditch

**Chapter 4: Classes and Quidditch**

Albus woke up at 6:45 the next morning. As he sat up, he was surprised to see that Scorpius had already woken up. In fact, all his books were ready and he was wearing his robes, ready for the school day. Before Albus could say anything, he had already left for the Great Hall. Albus rolled his eyes and started changing. He gathered his books and headed for the Great Hall like Scorpius. By this time, everyone else had started waking up.

At the Gryffindor table, he sat in front of Scorpius and started eating his breakfast of sausages and eggs. He thought he could feel Scorpius' eyes on him as he ate, and tried to ignore it. It was making him feel kind of uneasy. Before he could comment on it, Rose and Sapphire walked in.

"Hey, Albus!" said Rose, smiling. She looked eager to start her classes. _Must be the Granger in her, _Albus thought.

Sapphire sat down on Albus' left side, while Rose sat on the right. He had a feeling things would be much less awkward if Scorpius wasn't sitting in front of them, eyeing them.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" said Rose as she sneered.

"What makes you think I'd want anything from you?" answered Scorpius, putting a certain emphasis on the "you".

"Well, there's the fact that you've been staring at us for about 5 minutes. Care to comment?"

"I would if you were someone worthy of speaking to," replied Scorpius coolly.

Rose was clearly about to make a snappy retort, but the professors came by just then, handing out their schedules.

"Well, we've got Charms and Transfiguration first thing, and a double period of History of Magic afterwards. Shouldn't be too bad." said Albus. "Oh, and we have flying lessons later!" he said excitedly.

Sapphire, for some reason, looked alarmed at this. "Can't wait," she said weakly.

Albus wanted to ask her why she looked so nervous, but not wanting to pry, he didn't say anymore on the topic.

They finished eating, and all three of them headed to the Charms classroom, Scorpius slowly trailing behind.

"Do you think you could stop following us?" asked Sapphire with a scowl.

"Well, Todesworth, I don't know if you've processed this but I'm in your house. This means I am also in your classes." said Scorpius slowly, as if he were speaking to a child.

Sapphire remained silent, and entered the Charms classroom. Professor Flitwick stood at the head of the class, and began to teach. "Welcome students, to the wonderful world of charms! In this class, we will be aiming to learn new charms and use them practically and the theory behind them. Today, we will be practicing a basic charm: the levitation charm. Can anyone tell me the wand movement and incantation?"

Rose waved her hand in the air eagerly.

"Yes, Miss...?" Professor Flitwick asked.

"Weasley, sir. Rose Weasley. The wand movement is a swish and flick, while the incantation is _Wingardium Leviosa._"

Professor Flitwick beamed. "You certainly have your mother's brains, Miss Weasley. Now class, get to work! Try to levitate the feather in front of you. _Wingardium Leviosa! _Remember, swish and flick!"

Rose was the only one in the class able to perform the charm. She seemed to take great satisfaction in watching the other students struggle, especially Scorpius Malfoy, Albus noticed. Transfiguration went like charms, a bit of theory, and then some practical work. Luckily, they didn't get any homework so far. History of Magic, however, was a complete bore like Sapphire said. While Binns droned on and on about the Goblin Wars, the rest of the students were on the verge of falling asleep. Rose alone seemed able to resist the power of his monotone.

"Ugh, I'm never going to doubt you again," groaned Albus. "I'm never going to stay awake in that class, Sapphire."

Rose scoffed. "You guys just need to concentrate more. It's actually quite interesting if you would just listen!"

"Well, we're not you, Miss Know-it-all! Anyways, now that those classes are out of the way, I can't wait for flying lessons! Now that's a real class!" Albus said happily.

Rose was excited too. Sapphire, on the other hand, was turning pale.

"What's wrong, Sapphire? You look kind of sick." asked Albus.

"Oh, nothing. Just...worried about how I'll do in History of Magic..." Sapphire answered nervously.

Rose placed a hand on her hip. "Please, Sapphire, we're your best friends. You can't lie to us."

Sapphire sighed. "Alright, if you really want to know...I'm afraid of heights."

Rose gasped. "But on the train, you were talking about Quidditch like it was your favourite thing to do!"

"Favourite thing to watch really; I start panicking when I'm up too high."

Albus said "No worries, Sapphire. In this class, we barely get 3 feet off the ground. And if you do get panicky, I know a certain pair of friends that can create a distraction to get you out of there."

He winked at her, and she smiled. "Thanks, guys..." she started.

Rose cut her off. "Don't mention it. That's what friends are for."

Together, they ate lunch and headed to the courtyard for their flying lessons, ready to start the class. This was a class that they had with the Slytherins, resulting in a number of vicious stares being sent his way. Trying to ignore them, he took in his surroundings. Many of the students looked nervous. _Perhaps some of them are Muggleborns, _Albus thought. Some people, like Albus, were looking confident, probably because they already knew how to fly. Rose was included amongst these people. To his annoyance, so was Scorpius.

"Alright class, please step to the side of your broom. Now, I want you to imagine the broom in your hands, and yell "Up!" The broom should stay firmly in your grasp." Professor Wood explained. "When you have managed this, kick off from the ground hard, float at about head level for 5 seconds, and then touch back down."

"Up!" the class yelled. Albus, Rose, and Scorpius were the first three to get the brooms in their hands. Sapphire, on the other hand, kept yelling it repeatedly, but to no avail. While the rest of the class tried to get the broom in their hands, Albus was prepared to kick off from the ground. However, before he could, three Slytherins were making their way towards him. Albus vaguely recognized them from Scorpius' compartment on the Hogwarts Express.

"Well, if it isn't little Potty." sneered one of them.

"The name's Potter." said Albus, sounding braver than he felt.

"That's cute, he thinks we're going to listen to him!" said the same person. Albus figured he was the biggest threat in their group. The other two just seemed like his goons.

"Well, Potty, I think we have some unfinished business here. The name's Goyle. Gregory Goyle, named for my father. Your father happened to put my father and grandfather in Azkaban for treasonous crimes against muggleborns. He didn't even have the decency to say mudbloods!" Goyle scowled.

"Well, I'm not my father, and he obviously had his reasons for placing them in Azkaban." replied Albus.

"Whatever the case, Potter, you're still going to pay!" Goyle, along with his friends, pulled out their wands. Without even thinking, Albus jumped on his broom, and soared through the air, trying to avoid the jets of light being issued from their wands. As he couldn't perform proper magic yet, this was the best he could do.

Down below, he could see that Professor Wood had disarmed all three of them in one go. Albus sighed in relief, feeling proud that he had managed to dodge every spell, and touched down. Meanwhile, Professor Wood was berating the three of them for their attacks, and it seemed they had been given detentions for a week. Class was almost over, and Albus started to head back with Rose and Sapphire.

"Potter, wait!" said Professor Wood. "That was some amazing dodging...I think you should try out for the Quidditch team!" he exclaimed.

"But sir, I'm not very good..." argued Albus.

"No, no, I'm not hearing any of it. You're just like your father, you know that? Amazing flier without so much as having touched a broom in his life. And he became a Seeker. I think you could too, or at least a Chaser."

Albus smiled. "Alright sir, I'll try!" Professor Wood smiled and dismissed him.

"Hey Albus, what was that all about?" Sapphire asked.

"After seeing how I dodged the spells like Bludgers, he reckons I should try out for the Quidditch team!"

"Well you _are _a great flier; I'm not surprised at all!"

"Yup! Just one problem. I play Seeker."

"Why is that a problem?"

"James does too."


	5. Chapter 5: The Corridor Duel

**Chapter 5: The Corridor Duel**

The next morning, Albus, Rose, and Sapphire met up at the Gryffindor table as usual.

"What classes do we have today?" asked Sapphire.

Rose answered for Albus. "In the morning, we have double Defence against the Dark Arts, and after that, we have double Potions."

"Ooh, Defence against the Dark Arts should be interesting, with your dad teaching us and all." Sapphire said excitedly.

Albus sighed. "Fun for everyone but me. If I mess up, it's not just in front of my class; it's in front of my dad, too."

Rose laughed. "Uncle Harry wouldn't care. He just cares about your happiness."

Albus nodded and said, "I guess you're right. I wonder what he'll teach us..."

Apparently, Albus was not the only one wondering. All the other students were whispering to each other. Especially the girls who were giggling and fixing their hair, which made Albus shudder. His dad was kind of taken...by his mum. He sat down in the middle of the class with Rose and Sapphire, and his father started teaching the lesson.

"Good morning, students! My name is Harry Potter, but you may address me as Professor Potter, or Professor Harry. Whichever you feel more comfortable with. Anyways, let's begin the lesson, shall we?"

"Umm...Professor Harry, sir?" started a Ravenclaw girl in the front. "Do you think you could tell us about the Battle of Hogwarts, and how you defeated Voldemort?"

Harry sighed. "Well, I can't say I haven't been expecting this. I suppose it was inevitable. I'm going to be covering the basics of what happened, but I'll leave out the specifics of dark magic used by Voldemort."

Albus knew he was talking about Horcruxes, which Voldemort had used to try to make himself immortal.

"Well, it all started when I was 11, and I got my letter from Hogwarts. Now, I had no idea at the time how famous I was. I was living with my muggle aunt, uncle, and cousin, who told me my parents died in a car crash..." Harry continued to tell his tale for the entire first period, which was an hour. By the end, most people were gasping in awe, except Albus and Rose, who had heard the story about a billion times, and Scorpius, who was trying (and failing) his best not to look impressed.

"Now that that's over with, let's start with the lesson I've prepared. The first defensive spell I will teach you is the disarming charm. While it may seem insignificant, it can actually save your life in battle. I've used it against Voldemort himself! Who can tell me the incantation?"

Rose shot her hand up in the air before Albus' dad had even finished the question. "_Expelliarmus_, Professor Potter!"

Harry smirked at her use of "Professor Potter." He answered, "Correct, Miss Weasley. Take ten points for Gryffindor. Now, I want you all to divide into pairs, and start practicing the spell on each other."

Sapphire immediately grabbed Albus, receiving a glare from Rose.

"What's that all about?" asked Albus.

"Well, I knew that Professor Harry would divide everyone into pairs the second he said disarming charm. There are exactly sixteen Gryffindors, and we don't know twelve of them. Obviously, it was going to be you, me, Rose, and Malfoy left." answered Sapphire.

"Yes, and you being the amazing friend that you are, you left me to Malfoy." Rose said sarcastically.

"You're welcome," Sapphire said sweetly.

Albus felt bad for her at first, but as time progressed, he noticed she was enjoying it. Mostly because every time she disarmed him, he flew backwards and banged into the wall. Soon, DADA came to an end and it was time for Potions. They headed down to the dungeons, and noticed their new teacher, Professor Bulstrode, obviously hated the Gryffindors. When Goyle threw some wormwood at Sandy Thomas, Professor Bulstrode just took ten points from Gryffindor for "disrupting her class". She must've taken at least 100 points from Gryffindor when inspecting their Calming Draughts, finding something wrong each Gryffindor's potion.

However, when she reached Albus' potion, she simply stared in shock, then sniffed and walked away. Albus had created the perfect potion, and even added some of his own ingredients to make it more potent. This just came easily to him; as he was naturally adept at it. This came in handy when annoying Professor Bulstrode. Even Rose's potion was not as perfect as Albus'.

"How did you make your potion?" Rose asked in awe.

Albus shrugged. "I just followed most of the directions. I changed some based on the properties of the ingredient. Like you could have crushed the bean instead of cutting it. It releases the juices better."

"Wow," Sapphire said. "You're a natural at potions."

They continued discussing classes as they walked down the corridor to the Gryffindor common room. Suddenly, Albus realized they had taken a wrong turn.

"I think we were supposed to turn left back at the turn in the hallway." Albus said.

Sapphire argued, "No, wasn't it a right?"

"It doesn't matter right now, let's just go back to the fork, and we'll check both ways." Rose said rationally.

As soon as they made their way back to the fork, Albus heard multiple cries of "Impedimenta!" Reacting quickly, he ducked, as did Rose. Sapphire, however, was confused and got thrown down the stairs.

"Sapphire!" both Albus and Rose yelled. They pulled out their wands and tried to use the one defensive spell they learned. "Expelliarmus!" they yelled together, as they blasted two people backwards and caught their wands.

But it wasn't enough. There were at least eight people attacking them, and with one spell, they couldn't do much but dodge.

"Told you that you would pay, Potty," said Goyle as he grinned evilly. Normally, Albus would be able to defeat him since they both only knew that one spell, but Goyle and his friends only numbered three of the attackers. The other five were all second years (possibly third years) and knew a whole lot more spells than he did.

Rose, however, was doing just fine. Clearly all her reading paid off, as he heard her use spells that weren't supposed to be taught till third year.

_Petrificus Totalus! Fernunculus! Tarantallegra! Reducto! Impedimenta! _These were just some of the spells she was using, and she had incapacitated at least 4 people. The other four, seeing her as a threat, ganged up on her. Apparently she learned about shield charms as well, since Albus was surprised to hear her yell "Protego!" Albus, determined to pull his weight, began to use the disarming charm on them from behind.

"Oh, sure," said a second year who blocked it. "Attack from behind. You're too cowardly to be a Gryffindor."

"Yeah, and eight on two is totally noble." Albus replied sarcastically.

"Well, it was supposed to be on three, but I guess your girlfriend over there couldn't take it."

"She's not my girl – "

Just then, a burly-looking third year leaped on Rose, causing Albus to stop his sentence abruptly. Rose, not expecting a physical attack, seemed as though she was about to join Sapphire on the stairs. But someone caught her before she was about to hit her head and knock herself unconscious. Scorpius Malfoy. He heard the commotion, and arrived just in time to help Rose.

"What are you doing?" Rose asked scathingly.

"Uh, saving you?" Scorpius replied.

"Well, you're done, so you can let me get back up now!" Rose answered angrily.

"I'll take that as a thank you." He replied smoothly.

Seeing as half of them were incapacitated thanks to Rose; Albus, Scorpius, and Rose managed to defeat the other half. They ran off before they could get injured any further. "Why did you help us?" Rose asked suspiciously.

"One of them tried to attack me the other day, and when I saw a whole bunch of them attack you, I thought it was only natural to help you out." answered Scorpius.

Albus smiled. "Well, thanks, Scorpius!"

Both Rose and Scorpius looked at Albus in surprise.

"What? He just helped us. Why wouldn't I thank him?" asked Albus.

"Hmm...I wonder...maybe it's because he's been acting like a git all week?" Rose said sarcastically.

Scorpius snorted. "Love you too, Rose."

"Well, you have! And I thought it was Weasley! Albus, you were there during most of the insults!"

Albus sighed. "Yeah, well, I think he deserves another chance."

"Thanks Potter."

Albus smiled. "You can call me Albus or Al, Scorpius."

Scorpius smiled, while Rose just stared open-mouthed at the two of them.

"Al, you can't be serious," she pleaded. "This is the person who called me ugly and the "daughter of a filthy mudblood"! How could you be friends with that?"

"People can change, Rose."

"Obviously, since you two are friends now."

"No," said Scorpius. "We three are friends now". He grinned and threw an arm over Rose's shoulders while she groaned. Albus tried to stifle a laugh.

"Wait until Sapphire hears about this," said Rose.

"Oh yeah, it should be the four of us, then," said Albus.

"Wait! That reminds me! We have to check if Sapphire's okay." Rose said suddenly.

Albus remembered, and anxiously ran over to Sapphire's body. "She's out cold, and her head is bleeding, but I think she'll be fine." He said.

Rose levitated Sapphire's body to the hospital wing, as she was the best at levitation charms.

"What happened?" asked Madam Clearwater, the Hogwarts healer.

Albus quickly explained the story to her. "Outrageous behaviour," she snarled. "Wait until Headmistress McGonagall hears of this."

And so, Rose, Albus, and Scorpius waited by Sapphire's bedside until she woke up.


	6. Chapter 6: Quidditch Tryouts

**Chapter 6: Quidditch Tryouts**

Sapphire rubbed her eyes and opened them slowly. She could make out a blurry vision of three people sitting in front of her. All she could see was a flash of wild red curls, pale white-blonde hair, and someone with dark floppy hair covering his forehead.

She sat up, only to find herself in a bone crushing hug.

"Gee, Rose, take it easy!" Sapphire grumbled.

Rose smiled. "Well, excuse me if I've missed my best friend!"

Albus put his hand to his mouth in mock shock. "And what about me?"

"We're cousins, so you don't count."

"How about me?" asked Scorpius.

"To be honest, I still need to warm up to you."

Scorpius snorted. "Thanks, that's really kind of you to say."

"Well, you did insult me for the past week."

"When are you going to let that go?"

"I'm just saying! It's only been two days since you've stopped acting like a prat."

"Two days! I've been in here for two days? What happened?" asked Sapphire, interrupting.

"Well, we kind of got into this huge fight with a whole bunch of idiots from Slytherin. You got knocked down the stairs and hit your head when they jumped out at us." Albus explained.

"Did you guys win?" asked Sapphire excitedly.

"Yeah, Rose went all rage on them and started using third year spells." Albus said, laughing at the memory.

"Yeah, it was pretty awesome. I think she took out more than half of them," Scorpius said.

"Is that a compliment I hear?" Rose asked sweetly.

"Nah, just a recount for Todesworth here," Scorpius answered.

"Sure it is," Rose said.

"Alright, don't start arguing again. And the name is Sapphire. Where did _he _come in, anyways?" said Sapphire.

"Well, I was heading up to the common room, and I heard all these incantations. I saw them fighting off a bunch of Slytherins, but Rose, upon seeing me, fainted in relief in my arms." Scorpius said.

"That's when I had to take over to protect her while she cheered me on." He finished.

Albus began snickering, with Sapphire joining in.

Rose's jaw dropped. "That is SO not what happened," she said indignantly. "If anything, I saved both of your butts! You would've on the floor begging for mercy if it wasn't for me! Sapphire, don't listen to him. I was fighting off a bunch of them when one of them leaped at me. I was surprised by the physical attack so I couldn't dodge. I was about to fall down the stairs when Scorpius caught me. Then, we all drove them away."

Scorpius smirked. "Whatever you need to say to save yourself the dignity. That isn't the story I've been telling the school, anyway."

"Liar! You didn't tell anyone that deluded version of the story. And even if you did, what idiot would believe that?"

Just then, the doors to the infirmary burst open. James, Albus' brother, rushed in and started running towards them. Apparently, he'd heard about the duel and wanted to make sure that Rose and Albus were okay.

"Yes, James, we're fine." Albus said.

"Okay, good. Tell me the names of those idiots, by the way. They're going to find themselves in a load of trouble for hurting you guys."

"They didn't hurt us though, just Sapphire." said Rose.

"That's reason enough; a friend of yours is a friend of mine. Especially if they're pretty." James said, winking at Sapphire as she blushed. He was just about to rush back out the door, when he turned back around and faced Rose.

"Hey Rose, I've heard a couple of rumours about the fight. Is it true that you fainted in Malfoy's arms and started swooning while he fought for you?" James asked, smirking. Scorpius started laughing, while Albus and Sapphire joined in. If Albus thought Rose was red-faced before, now she looked like a tomato.

"SWOONING!?" she shrieked. "I did nothing of the sort!"

"It's alright, Rose," James said, while gesturing to Scorpius. "Malfoy's here to protect you."

While Rose was internally fuming with Scorpius laughing at her, James leaned over to Albus and whispered something in his ear. "I hear you're trying out for Seeker, Albus. Just to warn you, when we're on the pitch, there is no brotherhood or friendship. I've wanted to try out for that spot for a year now. And I won't hesitate to knock you off your broom, or beat you so badly that you start to cry. Just warning you." James winked, and headed out. Albus stared after him, wondering why he decided to try out in the first place.

"Don't worry, Albus. You can do this." Sapphire said encouragingly, as she, Rose, and Scorpius headed to the Quidditch pitch.

Albus nodded absentmindedly and thought about what he needed to do. _Okay, here's the plan. Just act inconspicuous. Don't draw attention to yourself. Make the others think you're no good, but casually grab the Snitch from right under their noses. _

"Al, are you even listening to Sapphire?" Rose asked pointedly.

Albus sighed. "I have all the encouragement I need. I'm just going over the game plan in my head."

"Alright," Sapphire said. "It's time for the tryouts. Good luck! We'll be cheering you on in the stands."

"Thanks, guys!" Albus smiled. He strode towards the center of the pitch, where he saw about 30 people. His heart sank. How was he supposed to get picked from all these people?

"Alright, Gyffindors," said the captain. "We're going to start this tryout beginning with the Chasers, Keeper, Beaters, and then Seekers. Everyone to the stands except the Chasers and Keepers."

Albus watched the tryouts for the Chasers. After a while, two people were finally chosen (since the captain was a Chaser himself). Neither of them were very good, but compare to the rest, they were brilliant. As he sat through the tryouts for all the other players, his anxiety grew as each group ended. He glanced at James. James was looking handsome in his scarlet and gold robes, his hair casually swept aside by the wind. He wore a cool, calm, and confident expression on his face. Didn't he feel the slightest bit nervous? Albus wondered. Finally, the Seekers were called up. Albus tried to put on the same expression that his brother had on, and strutted confidently to the center of the pitch.

"Okay, to choose the Seeker, I'm going to let the Snitch out a few times. Whoever catches it the most will get to be Seeker. Ready? Go!" yelled the captain.

Albus skyrocketed to the top of the pitch. He circled the stadium looking for it. As he looked around, he noticed his brother doing the same thing. The other two trying out were looking around desperately and tailing James or Albus. The contest was easily between the two brothers. Suddenly, James swooped to the far side, near the goal hoops. Albus followed quickly, determined to catch up. They were neck and neck, when James turned right and swerved around to the other side of the pitch. Confused, Albus stopped and stared. What was going on? He found out when the Gryffindor captain blew the whistle.

"Amazing feint, James! Normally, I would let the Snitch out a few more times, but I think I've seen enough. Welcome to the team!" James grinned and thanked the captain as he handed him the Snitch. Albus began to trudge to the stands. He was sorry his friends had to see him lose the spot.

"Wait! Potter!" Albus turned around, confused. "I notice that you're really good at dodging, and managed to speed up to your brother even though you were only on a Firebolt 7000, while he was on a Firebolt 7010. How would you like to be a Chaser?" asked the captain.

"B-but I though you already picked the Chasers!" Albus stuttered, surprised by the offer.

"Well, I did, but you saw for yourself how they did. I think you could do much better."

"Umm...okay! I accept the position!" Albus answered eagerly.

"Great," he began. "I'll let you know when the first practice is later." The captain walked away, probably to tell one of the jubilant Chasers jumping around that they were off the team.

"Albus, I'm so sorry you didn't make the team," said Rose.

"But can you blame Kirke?" said Scorpius. "That feint James did was bloody brilliant!"

"Can you possess an ounce of tact for just one second?" said Rose.

"Hey, just being realistic here!" replied Scorpius.

"Guys," Al interrupted. "I made the team! As a Chaser. I know it's not what I was going for, but I took it!"

"Really?" asked Sapphire. "That's great, Al! Told you that you'd make the team."

Albus smirked, and all four of them walked back to the castle talking about Quidditch. Or, in Rose and Scorpius' case, arguing about Quidditch. They passed by the Forbidden Forest, completely oblivious to the fact that two eyes were watching intently from a tree by Hagrid's hut.


	7. Chapter 7: Stolen Objects and Break-Ins

**Hi again! Thank you so much to my first reviewer (who is a guest so I can't thank her properly. Thanks Aria!). Anyways, she asked if I've finished the book. No, I haven't, but every time I upload a new chapter, I start the next. I plan to have at least two more up by today, and maybe 5 tomorrow. And I'll try to upload one or two chapters every few days, depending on my work schedule. I also have a plan for all seven books, since I've worked out the plot. This chapter is where the plot thickens, by the way. Anyways, enjoy! :)**

**Chapter 7: Stolen Objects and Break-Ins**

"_Tell me where it is!" said a tall man in a dark cloak. _

_Albus, confused, asked "Where what is?"_

"_Don't play games with me! I know you know where it is!" snarled the man._

"_No, I don't even know what you're talking about!" exclaimed Albus._

"_What do you think I'm talking about? Obviously, you know the whereabouts of the Potestum."_

"_The what?" _

"_The Potestum! I've checked already, but it's not there! If you're not going to tell me, I'll have to make you." The man removed his hood and looked Albus in the eyes. Albus stared. The man's eyes were red. Not like when you were tired, or you were crying, but the irises were a bright, blood-red. In his eyes, Albus saw himself, his family, and his friends...all in pain, crying and screaming for Albus to help. "You don't want that to happen, now do you? If you know what's good for you, you'll tell me where it is!"_

"_But I don't know! I don't even know what that is!" Albus cried out in frustration._

"_Liar! I know you do. If you won't tell me willingly, I'll have to force it out of you. Crucio!"_

_Albus screamed, feeling pain like he had never felt before. His insides were twisting up, each body part feeling worse than the last. He felt like his body was on fire, and each individual part was crying._

Albus suddenly woke up and sat up straight in his bed, his body drenched in sweat. He took deep breaths, and looked around. He was in the boys' dormitory. Albus sighed in relief. He was okay. His family and friends were okay.

"Scorpius," Albus hissed. "Wake up!"

Scorpius groaned and rolled out of his bed. "Albus, I don't know if you've noticed, but it's the middle of the night. I don't think now is the time to chat."

Albus rolled his eyes. "No, I just had a weird dream!"

Scorpius sighed. "Don't you think you're a little too old to get scared of nightmares?"

"It wasn't a nightmare! At least, I don't think it was..." Albus explained the entire dream to Scorpius. Scorpius frowned and listened throughout the entire dream.

"Hmm...it seems like someone was trying to show you what might happen if you don't give him that Potsum thing." Scorpius said.

"I think it was Potestum, and I have no idea what or where it is," Albus said. "Why would this person think I'd know?"

"Uh, maybe because your dad is Harry Potter, and he's the head of the Auror department?" Scorpius said sarcastically. "Obviously, he thought your dad might have told you, and he could force it out of you."

Albus snorted. "My dad never tells me anything about his work. Only the major stuff, actually. He says it's for my safety. But apparently it's not working too well, seeing as I'm getting tortured in my dreams."

Scorpius' eyes lit up. "That's it, then! You should tell your dad about this nightmare. He might tell you about it."

Albus sighed. "No, he would just do something like try to teach me Occlumency to block these nightmares. But I really want to know what this is all about."

Scorpius thought for a little while longer. "Hey, we could ask Rose tomorrow! If any one of us knows the most about anything, it's her! Oh, and...don't ever tell her I said that."

Albus brightened. "Good idea! And I'll just use it for blackmail," he said evilly. "Now, let's get back to sleep. We can tell Rose and Sapphire in the morning."

Albus tried to force himself to sleep, but it was proving hard with all the questions he had. What was a Potestum? Why would he know where it was? Why wasn't anyone else getting nightmares? Where was it? With all these questions, he fell into a troubled sleep, tossing and turning all night.

The next morning, Albus and Scorpius woke up eagerly and ran outside the girls' dormitory, waiting for Rose and Sapphire to walk out. It felt like forever before they saw the two girls talking and laughing as they walked out the door.

"Rose! Rose! Over here!" cried Albus.

"What's wrong, Al?" asked Sapphire.

He quickly recounted the dream and studied Rose's expression for comprehension or understanding of some sort.

Rose frowned. "I'm sorry, Al. Potestum? I've never heard of anything like that. It kind of sounds like a spell though."

"Well, that's an idea," Scorpius said. "I guess it could be a spell."

Albus shook his head. "No, he asked me where it was, remember? I think it's supposed to be an object."

Rose nodded. "Oh, right. Well, we can always check the library!"

Albus, Scorpius, and Sapphire groaned.

"Aw, come on. It was your dream! If you really want to know, then we should all check!" Rose argued.

Albus gave in. "Fine, after today's classes, we'll search the library for a couple of hours."

"A couple of _hours?_" exclaimed Sapphire.

"Yeah, I know! It could take much longer than that!" said Rose.

Scorpius, Al, and Sapphire just stared at Rose. They argued about how long they should stay there all the way to the Great Hall, ranging from 5 minutes to 5 hours. Eventually, they decided on 2 hours, and sat down at the Gryffindor table. The owls swooped in, delivering mail to the students. Rose's owl, Pig, named after her father's, dropped the Daily Prophet on her plate and flew off. Rose took one look at the headline and spit out the pumpkin juice she was drinking.

"What happened, Rose?" asked Albus anxiously, awaiting some important news.

"Take a look," she said grimly.

_BREAK-IN IN DEPARTMENT OF MYSTERIES_

_Yesterday, at approximately 8:54 PM, the Department of Mysteries was broken into. Many Unspeakables claim to have seen nothing, just a swirl of dark robes. One Unspeakable however, name not disclosed, claims not to have seen anyone enter at all, although his partner was sitting next to him throughout the entire exchange. It is suspected that he had seen the person, and the Memory Charm was used on him to prevent him from identifying the culprit._

_Clues have yet to be obtained, but many Aurors and Unspeakables have resorted to reassuring the public of their safety. "No need to worry," says one. "We've checked the entire department and gone through the files; nothing was taken." It seems as though the person did not find what they were looking for. However, the public should still be worried, as this person will obviously keep looking for whatever he was searching for. We have yet to receive word from Head Auror, Harry Potter, who is currently in a teaching position at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And so, many of our questions remain unanswered. Who was the culprit? What were they looking for? Where were the Aurors when we needed them?_

After reading the article, Albus, Scorpius, and Sapphire just stared at Rose.

"Umm, that's great and all Rose, I'm sure that they'll find whoever that did it. Why is this so important?" Albus asked uncertainly.

Rose rolled her eyes. "I'm beginning to wonder who really had the dream here! You said that the man in your dream said "I've checked already." Where does the Ministry keep all unknown and mysterious artifacts?"

"Oh, you think that he broke in to check for the Potestum. That's genius!" Sapphire said excitedly.

Rose smiled smugly. "I know."

"But if it's not there, then where is it?" asked Scorpius.

"Well that's the question, isn't it?" Albus said.

Albus, Rose, Scorpius, and Sapphire headed down to the greenhouses for Herbology with Professor Longbottom. Nothing interesting happened, as they just discussed theory, and as usual, Rose answered all the questions. Then, they headed to Transfiguration with Professor Laxford. They were in the middle of it, when some adult walked in and asked to speak to him. While they stepped out of the classroom, Albus was thinking about the Potestum. Whatever it was, why would the person want it anyway? What did it do? He barely noticed when Professor Laxford did not return for the rest of the class, with Professor Flitwick filling in.

Afterwards, all four of them headed to the library, some more enthusiastic than others. By that, it meant Rose.

"Well, this will be exciting! We might finally find out what that thing is!" Rose said as she jumped up and down.

"Don't remind me," Sapphire moaned. "I can't believe I'm wasting my free time on this!"

They entered the library and began looking through books on ancient artifacts. After about an hour, it seemed their efforts were fruitless. They had looked through the index on almost every book on that shelf and found nothing of relation.

"How do we even know that we'll find the information in the library?" Scorpius asked.

Albus hesitantly replied. "We don't."

If it was even possible, Sapphire started complaining even further. While Rose picked up book after book, and Scorpius lazily flicked through pages, Albus absentmindedly picked up a book off the shelf.

"Albus, this was your dream and you're not even paying attention!" said Rose in an annoyed manner.

"What do you mean? I'm searching, aren't I?" replied Albus.

"Yes, through a misplaced book! That says _Latin Terminology_."

"Oh," replied Albus, feeling stupid. He was about to close it when something caught his eye. "Hey, guys! Look what I found!"

"What?" asked Sapphire, sounding excited for the first time they reached here.

"_Potestas, or Potestatem _is a Latin term referring to power. This is not meant to be power as in strength, but in leadership and command." Albus read.

"Hmm...so this Potestum is probably derived from these terms. This means it could give the person power. And I'm guessing not the good kind." Rose said thoughtfully.

"Well, we've figured that out, but we're still not any closer to finding out where it is or what it does." Scorpius said. Rose began to open her mouth. "And we've checked, like, all the books in the library." He added quickly.

"Not in the Restricted section," Rose said grimly.

"Wait, wait, wait. Are you, Little Miss Follows-the-Rules, giving us permission to enter a non-permitted area for students?" Scorpius asked with a smirk.

"Of course not! Just stating the facts." Rose answered with a wink.

They put away the books and headed for Gryffindor tower, discussing what the uses of the Potestum could be if it meant power. They tried to focus on their homework, but gave up after a conversation began again about Albus' dream. Well, everyone but Rose gave up. After they bid each other good night, the girls entered their dormitories, and Albus packed his things.

He stepped in the door, and gaped. All of his things were spread across the room and destroyed. His sheets were on the floor, his books out of the pile, and his clothes scattered everywhere. On his bed was a note, with three simple words. _Where is it? _


	8. Chapter 8: Suspicions

**And here is one of the chapters I promised you! I may not be able to get the next one up today though. :( if i don't, i swear i'll make up for it tomorrow. Again, thank you reviewers! I added a little Ropius (if that's what we're calling it) for one of you. i know, they're only 11. but this is supposed to be a seven-book series, so get excited (hint, hint)! for those of you asking questions about the plot, you'll have to wait and see, won't you? :) Have fun!**

**Chapter 8: Suspicions**

"Wait, wait. How do we know this isn't, like, Goyle or someone? I mean, he's probably still angry about the detentions Professor Potter gave him." asked Sapphire, for about the billionth time.

Rose sighed. "Sapphire, Goyle is in Slytherin. Only Gryffindors know the password, along with the head of house. Also, someone would've seen him if it happened after classes, which he needs to attend. Finally, "Where is it?"? What says creepy dream dude like that?"

"Okay, I guess you're right. I'm just trying to convince myself that there is not some wacko on the loose in Hogwarts grounds." Sapphire said.

"Who says it has to be the same guy?" said Scorpius. "He could just as easily plant a spy in Hogwarts to do all the dirty work for him. And Rose? A student can easily be excused from classes with a fake illness or something. Plus, it's not hard to find out the password. Maybe a Slytherin and Gryffindor are friends, and told each other the password. Maybe one of them overheard someone using it."

Sapphire snorted. "A Slytherin and Gryffindor, friends? I don't think so. But everything else makes sense. And couldn't it be a professor, too? I'll bet anything it could be Professor Bulstrode."

Rose looked up thoughtfully. "Well, I'm guessing professors had to teach classes at the time. We can't just blame her without the evidence."

"Okay, so we're back to square one." Albus interrupted. "We have no idea who it is, we have no idea if a spy is doing it, and we don't know anything new about the Potestum."

"Glad to see we're on the same page." Rose said facetiously. "Anyways, let's try to rule out the people here. If this person really wants the Potestum, he or she will try again. So let's think about who could've done it, and who had the motive."

"Well, so far, we have Professor Bulstrode and Goyle as our suspects. Not to mention the guy from your dreams, although it would be difficult for him to get on Hogwarts grounds." said Scorpius.

"Okay, so we use deductive reasoning. We had Transfiguration with Professor Laxford with the Ravenclaws, while Slytherins and Hufflepuffs had Herbology with Professor Longbottom." Albus said. "We can just ask Neville if Goyle was there! I'm sure he'd tell us if we came up with a good reason."

"And I think Professor Bulstrode had second years, Gryffindors included. We can ask James about potions!" Rose said excitedly. "I know it's not much of a plan, but it's all we've got."

Albus, Rose, Scorpius, and Sapphire headed to the greenhouses by Hagrid's hut to speak to Professor Longbottom. They had almost reached when three figures stepped out from behind it.

"Well if it isn't Potty and his friends! Careful, Potty, you wouldn't want your girlfriend to get hurt again, now would we?" sneered Goyle.

Sapphire gritted her teeth. "First of all, I'm not his girlfriend. Second of all, I only fell because you were too cowardly to attack us to our faces. Care for a rematch?"

Goyle laughed. "That's sweet. She thinks she can take us."

Rose stepped forward. "Don't forget I've beaten you once. I can take you again with my hands tied behind my back."

Goyle and his friends just looked at her with disgust. "How dare you speak to us that way? Daughter of a filthy mudblood, that's all you are."

Rose's wand was halfway through the air when a jet of light hit Goyle in the chest. She looked back in surprise.

"Hey," snarled Scorpius. "No one gets to insult her but me."

Rose snorted. "Gee, thanks. Look who I can always count on for defending me."

"And you," exclaimed Goyle. "You're a traitor to all Slytherins! How could you _help _Weasley?"

"Because she's my friend," Scorpius replied, although he put a slight hesitation before friend. "Now leave before we're forced to hex you. And what's that on your face? Other than the usual, of course."

Goyle sneered. "Nothing that concerns you." For a moment, Albus thought he would try to pull out his wand, but apparently the results of last time's duel got to him. As he turned around, he heard Goyle muttering to himself.

"Stupid herbology. Stupid biting plants. Next time, I'll just skip the entire thing." Goyle murmured.

Albus stared. "Well, we know it wasn't Goyle. Let's go talk to James."

As they walked back to castle, Albus thought he felt someone watching him. But even when he looked around, he could see no one. Frowning, he headed back to the common room with the others to question James.

"Hey, James!" Albus called as he saw James talking to his friends around a piece of old parchment.

"What's that?" he asked, curious as to why James had yellowing parchment.

James grinned; the way he grinned when he was hiding something. "Oh, nothing." He replied casually.

Albus was not the only one who was suspicious; Rose narrowed her eyes at him and flicked her wand at the paper. "Revealio," she muttered.

On the parchment, words started forming. They read, _Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs insist that Rose Weasley keep her fieriness to her hair and mind her own business. _James and his friends roared with laughter while Rose turned a delicate shade of red.

"Anyways, that's not what we're here for," Albus continued, wanting to get this over with. "We wanted to ask if – " Albus cut himself off, knowing his brother would want to know why Albus was asking.

"What Albus was saying was, he wanted to ask if Professor Bulstrode was treating you guys any better." Scorpius cut across smoothly. "We know you had potions today, and we were annoyed at how she was treating us."

James replied smoothly. "No worries, Al. She treats all Gryffindors like that. But today, I got the chance to get back at her."

Sapphire frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Someone called her into the hallway, and she didn't return for the next fifteen minutes." James grinned. "I got the chance to test out the fireworks Uncle George gave me. Her desk is rigged so that they'll spring out when she opens it."

Albus' jaw dropped. So she had fifteen minutes. That was enough time to raid Albus' dorm.

"Thanks, James. Talk to you later!" Rose said as they all rushed to another part of the common room.

"So it was her," said Scorpius. "She had enough time to check!"

Rose sighed. "It does seem that way, but we have no complete evidence. Professor Laxford stepped out too, but we don't suspect him!"

Sapphire started. "So you think Professor Laxford could have done it?"

"No, I was just saying that to make a point! I mean we need a little more proof before we can tell Albus' dad or something. Like, we could match her handwriting to the note."

Scorpius laughed. "Oh, that's not suspicious. Let's just ask her to write her name for us, and she'll do it obligingly."

Rose rolled her eyes. "No, I meant like when we have Potions, and she writes the directions on the board."

"Oh yeah, I never thought about that."

"Maybe because it takes some brain cells?"

Albus stopped them before they could start fighting. "Okay, so we'll check her handwriting. And if they're not the same?"

Rose sighed. "Then we're back to square one."

Albus stood up to head for his dorm, clinging to his last suspicion. As he was heading up the stairs, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Albus! Forgot to congratulate you days ago for getting that Chaser spot." James said.

"James, I got the spot about a month ago. We've had about 20 practices." Albus said.

"Well, I guess it didn't come up. Anyways, wanted to say hope you're prepared for the match tomorrow!" James patted Albus on the back, and then ran to his friends.

Albus stared after him. The match was _tomorrow?_ How could he forget? With all his suspicions, he had forgotten all about Quidditch. With a new worry in his stomach, he headed back to his dorm, trying to forget about both of them.

Albus couldn't even look at his breakfast the next morning. The thought of him messing up was too great. If he ruined the game, it wouldn't be just for him. The captains of all Quidditch teams would never accept another first year again.

"Come on, Al, you're going to do fine! You're an amazing Quidditch player!" Sapphire encouraged.

"Yeah, just don't mess up." said Scorpius.

"Wow, that really helps put things in perspective, Scorps." Albus said sarcastically.

Scorpius looked up at him. "Never call me that again."

Rose, delighted at the chance to annoy Scorpius in a new way, chimed in. "Yeah, way to give a pep talk, Scorpy!"

Scorpius glared at her.

"What?" Rose said innocently. "It's not like I called you Scorps."

Albus had to laugh. Well, then again, all of Rose's arguments with Scorpius did. The only person really making an effort to help was Sapphire. He noticed her rolling her eyes, and did the same. Soon, it was time for the match to start.

"Okay," said Kirke, captain of the team. "I want you all to listen. I took a whole bunch of risks adding new members to our team, especially young ones." All eyes glanced at Albus, then looked away. That sure made him feel better. "But I believe in all of you. I picked you for a reason, and I know you are capable of doing this. So, let's get out there, and WIN!" Albus noticed he said "win" instead of "have fun". Now the pressure was on.

They stormed to the center of the pitch, and the captains shook hands. Then, they all rose to the air. Albus ignored the comments and tried to focus on the game. Kirke passed to the other Chaser, who immediately began racing to the other goals. Albus raced alongside him, to make sure he would have an open teammate if he couldn't score. But it seemed that it wasn't necessary, since he scored. He could hear the roar of the Gryffindors and the booing from the Slytherins, but mostly the cheering. "Amazing score by Gryffindor Chaser Robert Lawton! I see there has been no performance so far from Albus Potter. Seeing as he's just in first year, there's no surprise there!" Albus ignored him.

Suddenly, Albus found the Quaffle in his hands. He started racing towards the goals, avoiding Bludgers coming his way easily. He feinted to the left, and the Keeper dived hopelessly in that direction to save it. Smiling, Albus pitched it to the right and scored.

"GRYFFINDOR SCORE!" yelled the commentator. "I always knew that Albus Potter would go and do great things. Natural player, just like his brother!" said the commentator, as if he hadn't just insulted him a few moments ago.

Albus grinned as the Quaffle ended up in his arms again. He passed to Kirke, who passed it back after some Slytherin Chasers tried to steal it. Albus aimed for the left, turned to the right, and was getting ready to throw it to the left, spinning quickly. Thoroughly confusing the Keeper, he was going to score when it all went wrong. His broom started moving in another direction. The crowd stopped cheering and looked merely confused. Suddenly, his broom zoomed straight off the pitch in the direction of the Forbidden Forest.

Luckily, Albus wasn't the only one who noticed. Rose headed to his father, who cast a spell on the broom, causing it to stop and return to the pitch. As he returned, he quickly threw the Quaffle through the hoops like nothing had happened. For a moment, the crowd was completely silent. Stunned. Then, they erupted into cheers. Albus had shown he would do anything to score.

Just as he scored, he noticed his brother dive. The other Seeker, still confused from Albus' score, noticed the Snitch right after that in a split second. A split second too late. Gryffindor had won the match!

His teammates cheered loudly, and carried Albus, as well as James, up on their shoulders. Thanks to their score, 180-0, Gryffindor was sure to be in the lead with Slytherin far behind.

Albus' happiness was momentarily forgotten as he noticed his father, along with Sapphire, Rose, and Scorpius, walking towards him.

"Sorry to interrupt this celebration," said Harry. "But I need to talk to Albus."

The team put Albus down and walked away.

"Albus, someone Confunded your broom to head to the Forbidden Forest. Do you have any idea who did this, or why it happened?"

Albus stared at his father, knowing that if he told him all he knew, his problems could be solved. A small part of him wanted to keep it secret. _Where's the fun in telling? Don't you want to take a risk? _Slowly, Albus forced this part down, sighed, and told his dad everything. His expression hardened when Albus mentioned the Potestum.

Hesitantly, Albus asked, "What is a Potestum, Dad?"

Harry sighed. "I'm sorry, Albus, but I can't tell you. Now, I want you to clear your mind of all thoughts and emotion every night. This should keep you from having the dreams. You should also stay inside, or with your friends whenever you go somewhere. Never go alone."

Albus looked at him. "That's your solution? Cutting off the flow of information and having me baby-sat?"

His father looked down at Albus. He was too much like Harry for his own good.

"I'm sorry, Albus, but this is what will keep you safe." Harry said as he walked away. "Come to me if you ever have another problem. It's best to let adults deal with this."

Albus was furious. He had thought telling his dad would result in this, but he expected answers at the very least.

Sapphire sighed. "You're not going to listen to him, are you?" she asked.

Albus shook his head. "If he's not going to give me answers, I'll just find out for myself. We just have to keep our eyes peeled for more information."

Scorpius piped up, "Well, then open your eyes, because we have some information."

Albus perked up. "Really? What is it?"

Rose answered for him. "Professor Bulstrode wasn't at the match."


	9. Chapter 9: Halloween

**Here's the next chapter! This one took a while, since I was thinking the scenes through carefully. Harry continues to pull a Dumbledore, while Albus gets annoyed. :P A review asked why I've been updating so quickly, and told me they could wait. Well, I know, but I just wanted to update! I have free time now, and I thought I might as well, since this story is interesting me. :) Plus, I probably won't update as quickly for the rest of this week, cuz school starts again tomorrow. Ugh. Anyways, thanks for the reviews. Also, thank you so much to my first follower, DaniellePayne609 (yes, you deserve a shout-out). Also, my only follower, but it doesn't matter. I'm just glad some people enjoy my story. Enjoy, and thanks for reading! :)**

**Chapter 9: Halloween**

"Well that settles it then," said Albus, in the Gryffindor common room. "It's got to be her."

"Should we tell your dad?" asked Sapphire.

"No," Albus sighed. "Last time he basically told me to forget about everything. If dad isn't going to act on our suspicions, then we will."

"So...what's the plan?" asked Scorpius.

"I don't know," Albus admitted. "Not yet, at least."

"Wow, both well-thought out and strategic. Good plan." Scorpius said sarcastically.

Rose piped up suddenly. "I have a plan."

Albus, Scorpius, and Sapphire stared at her.

"Miss Rule-Enforcer has a plan to break the rules?" Scorpius asked incredulously .

"Shut up," snapped Rose. "Technically, i f it's Professor Bulstrode, and we catch her, we're catching a criminal. So it's following the rules."

"Whatever logic helps you sleep at night," said Sapphire. "So, what do you have ? "

"The Halloween feast," said Rose simply.

Again, the three of them stared at her like she had three heads. "Care to expand on that, Rose?" asked Albus.

"Ugh," groaned Rose. "You people really need to _think. _At the Halloween feast, all students and teachers gather in the Great Hall. This is the perfect opportunity for Bulstrode to strike again."

Albus began to get excited again. "So when we see her, we catch her in the act. "

"Noo," Rose said sarcastically. "When we see her, we start tap dancing. Anyways, glad to see you guys are finally listening."

Sapphire frowned. "But how do we catch her? I mean, she's checked Albus' dorm. Where else could she check?"

"Professor Potter's office." said Scorpius. "She thinks that it's with Al, but his dad is the Head Auror, not him. And it would be unsafe at his house, with only his mom and sister there."

Rose had a thoughtful expression on her face. "Hmm...that could work. During the feast, Al pretends he has to go to the bathroom, when he really heads to Uncle Harry's office on the fourth floor. We shove him in the hallway, and Bulstrode will step out and try to kidnap him."

"What?" Albus sputtered. "That's a terrible plan! I can't defeat her!"

Rose sighed. "You didn't let me finish. She _tries _to kidnap you, but I cast the disarming charm from behind, and then tie her up with the rope-tying spell."

"Geez," Albus grumbled. "Next time tell us the entire plan before you give me a heart attack."

"Okay, so just to recap," started Scorpius. "We use Albus as bait, and pray she can't take on three first years."

"Basically," said Sapphire cheerfully.

"And afterwards, we tell Uncle Harry," said Rose with a stern look at Albus. "We can't just take on whatever organization she's part of; the man in your dream sounded scary."

Albus sighed and gave in. "Fine," he said.

"Why do you want to do this, anyway?" asked Sapphire. "I mean, if we tell your dad, won't everything be solved?"

Albus scowled. "Yeah, everything will be solved. It'll be back to normal. He won't tell me a thing and I'll be stuck in the shadows of him and James. He's not even the one who had the dream!"

"So that's what this is about," said Scorpius with a knowing look. "Well, I have to agree with Rose."

Albus thought he heard Sapphire mutter something like, "No surprise there."

"We can't get too involved with this, we 're just 11! We'll just help out by catching Bulstrode, and then leave it to your dad." Scorpius continued, showing no sign that he had heard what Sapphire said .

"Alright," Albus sighed. "I guess it would be okay to just have a normal year, actually. I just got caught up in the excitement of this. I'm probably overreacting about nothing. Anyways, looks like we've got to wait until the feast now ."

Little did Albus know that he was not overreacting at all.

Weeks passed by. It was surprising how fast the days went by. _Well, I guess time flies when you're doing homework and studying, _thought Albus. September quickly dissipated into October; November just around the corner. Albus hadn't forgotten about the plan, and he hoped the others hadn't either, because it was almost time to put it into action.

"Now class, for homework..." the class collectively groaned. Harry smiled. "For homework, I want you all to get out, and have a great Halloween!" Everyone cheered, and rushed outside before Harry could change his mind. As the students left, he thought Albus looked a little nervous. He would ask him to stay behind, but he had another class. _I'll just talk to him during the feast and see what's bugging him," _Harry thought. But of course, if Albus' plan worked, Harry would not get the chance.

Albus ran over to where Rose and Sapphire were sitting by the fire. They were doing each other's hair. _Girls, _thought Albus, shaking his head. "Hey, have any of you seen Scorpius?" he asked .

"I think he's in the boys' dormitory," said Rose.

"Thanks, I'll go get him!" Albus rushed off and dragged Scorpius towards the fire. "Hey guys, I don't know if you remember, but around a month ago we had a plan during the Halloween feast, to – "

Sapphire cut him off with an incredulous look on her face. "You honestly think we forgot? I've been thinking about it all month!"

"Me, too." chorused Rose and Scorpius.

Albus sighed in relief. So he wouldn't h ave to go over the plan. "Okay, good. You remember. Now here's what we do. Just walk down to the Great Hall, and I'll pretend to go to the bathroom. Scorpius will come with me, which will be fine, since my dad forced me into the buddy system. Later, Rose will 'not feel very good' and Sapphire, you take her food for her ."

Sapphire interrupted. "Why not just leave the Great Hall at the same time?"

"Yup, all four of us eating and then we jump up all of a sudden and run out of the Great Hall while students and professors continue to eat," Scorpius answered facetiously. "Nope, not suspicious at all!"

Sapphire scowled. "Point taken."

"Okay, so we know the plan. Let's head down to the Great Hall!" said Rose.

At the Great Hall, all students seemed t o be enjoying themselves. They were joking, laughing, and scaring each other. After all, it was Halloween. All except four students, who didn't need the Halloween celebrations to look scared. They were frightened of their own accord.

Patiently (or so it seemed) waiting for Professor Bulstrode to show up, and the feast to begin. Or in their case, for the plan to begin.

Headmistress McGonagall stood up. "Unfortunately, due to an accident, Professor Bulstrode cannot join us for the feast. So, we must enjoy this feast without her ." The Gryffindors exchanged looks of glee, both due to the fact that Bulstrode wasn't here, and that the tables were now covered in delicious dishes and foods. Again, all except four.

"What are we going to do now?" hissed Rose. "We never even thought about her not joining!"

Albus tried not to look disappointed, in which he was failing miserably. Their plan was on the verge of falling apart.

"We're going to have to stick with the plan." whispered Albus.

"But couldn't Bulstrode have gotten to your dad's office already?" Sapphire asked.

"I'm almost sure that she did," said Scorpius nonchalantly.

Rose stared at him. "Then why are you acting so cool about it?"

Scorpius smirked. "So you admit that I'm cool?"

"You know full well that's not what I meant!"

Before Scorpius could reply, Albus butted in. Those two couldn't get in an argument at a time like this.

"Alright, alright. Let's just go with what we have. Scorpius, let's go to the 'bathroom'." Albus said.

The two left the table, and Rose and Sapphire tried to act natural. This was proving hard with Harry gazing at them intently, wondering why Albus had left. To make matters worse, he started heading over to Rose and Sapphire.

"He's coming! He's coming!" Sapphire said, panicking.

"Don't hyperventilate! Just act normal." Rose said, trying to sound soothing. In reality, she was just as nervous as Sapphire.

"Hey, Rose! Hello...? I'm sorry, I forgot your name. I think it was a gemstone. . .?" Harry said.

"Sapphire Todesworth." She said in a robotic voice.

Rose could have stomped on her foot. _Way to act natural, _she thought. _And I thought I was a bad actress._

Harry smiled. "Right, Sapphire. Lovely name, really."

Sapphire blushed, while Rose was trying her hardest not to gag.

"Anyways," Harry continued. "I noticed Albus leave the hall, with his...friend, Mr. Malfoy." Harry said, putting a slight hesitation before "friend". "I don't suppose you know why?"

The way Harry put it made it clear that he knew that Rose knew why, and was simply asking politely as a formality.

"Scorpius," Rose corrected automatically , blushing afterwards when she saw Harry 's expression.

"Right, Scorpius. So, the reason?"

"He went to the bathroom, and asked Scorpius to go with him because he knew that you asked him not to go anywhere alone . " Rose answered in what she hoped was a nonchalant voice.

Harry smiled. He knew he shouldn't have doubted Albus. And he was actually listening to what Harry said! "Oh, alright. Glad to see that he's actually taking my words to heart. I'm really proud of that ; I thought he might still be angry about what I told him at the Quidditch game. "

Rose nodded, feeling guilty, and trying not to let it show. Unfortunately, Harry had known her since birth, and could apparently tell something was off in her expression.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"Oh, no, I'm just feeling a little sick. Think I might have eaten too much." Rose said, trying to kill two birds wit stone.

Harry looked down at her plate. It was still full. He raised an eyebrow at her. Fortunately, before she could crack, Sapphire answered for her.

"Oh, that's like her third helping. Rose , I told you not to eat so much!" she scolded. Clearly Rose shouldn't have judged her acting ability so quickly.

"Oh," said Harry, looking more concerned now. "Do you want me to take you to the hospital wing?"

"No!" said Rose. "I mean, it's just a stomach ache. You should enjoy the feast. I think I'll just go rest. Sapphire, do you want to come with me?"

"Sure!" said Sapphire.

They walked out of the Great Hall, with a suspicious look still etched on Harry' s face. Thankfully, he didn't follow them, and instead headed back to the professors' table.

Rose and Sapphire dashed to the corridor outside Harry's office. There, they found Albus and Scorpius with looks of worry on their faces.

"There they are!" said Scorpius.

Rose and Sapphire headed towards them, where they immediately began to get berated by Albus.

"Do you guys know how long it took you to get here? Professor Bulstrode could have gotten here already, and been on her merry way with the Potestum!" Albus exclaimed.

"But she didn't." said Sapphire wisely. "And how do we know it's even here?"

Albus put on a thoughtful expression. "True, but not the point. Anyways, let's get into position!"

They waited ten minutes, but no sign of Bulstrode appeared. He was beginning to wonder if anyone was even going to show up when he heard a noise coming their way.

"Someone's coming!" Albus hissed. He started walking around his dad's office, expecting Bulstrode to show up. Surprisingly, he heard no further noises. He peeked past the hallway, and saw a figure in dark robes turn somewhere else.

"Bulstrode's not coming this way, for some reason," Albus said. "I'm guessing she wants to make sure no one's here first , so she's going to take a quick trip to the Great Hall. But that wastes time . Let's take care of that for her, shall we ?"

Scorpius winked. "I'm on it." He took a deep breath, and yelled across the hallw ay. "No, Rose, for the last time, I will not go out with you!"

Rose's jaw dropped while Sapphire sniggered. "I didn't want to in the first place!" she screamed, louder than Scorpius.

"So you're saying it's over?" yelled Scorpius.

"We never started! I'm going down to the Great Hall where I have some actual friends!"

"Me, too! Beats this place. No one around to ignore!"

With that, they stopped screaming and clomped their feet against the ground, making it sound like they were walking away . As they rounded the corner, where they would hide, he heard Rose whisper to Scorpius, "You're an idiot!"

Smirking, Albus heard footsteps come his way. He walked down the corridor, and the figure stepped in front of him. Upon seeing him, the figure raised their wand , meaning to strike Albus. Albus waited for one of his friends to jump out and disarm Bulstrode, but nothing happened . Instead, the bolt of light hit Albus across the chest and ropes started forming a round him. He was clearly being ta ken captive.

He started panicking. Where were his friends? The figure strode towards Albus, pushing him against the wall. Then, she attempted to open Harry's office. This was when everything went wrong. Rose jumped out and yelled "Reducto!", causing Albus' ropes to disintegrate. She attempted to disarm the figure, but a noise from behind the corner stopped her.

At this point, a noise was issued from where his friends were hiding. He wondered what was going on.

"PEEVES!" He heard Sapphire shriek. Peeves swooped through the hallway, throwing what looked like candy at Rose, Sapphire, Scorpius, Albus, and the figure. One piece landed in his mouth, and Albus chewed it, wondering what it was. He found out a second later when all he could see was pitch black.

Blinding Bubblegum. A Weasley product, that he knew his cousin Fred happened to have an entire collection of. Apparently , his friends had chewed them too, as he could tell from the noises, cursing, and shrieking. Spitting them out didn't take the blindness away. They stumbled across the hallway trying to grope for each other to get a sense of where they were. This was no help whatsoever, and ended up bumping into each other for the next five minutes. Eventually, it wore off. But it was too late. Harry's office had been ransacked, and the figure was gone.


	10. Chapter 10: November Rain

**Last update for the weekend! 10 chapters in 3 days. I think that's pretty good. Not to brag, or anything. :P Probably won't update very frequently now, but don't worry! I plan to finish this; i hate abandoning things that I've started. Anyways, thank you soooooo much to those that have reviewed or followed me or my story. it really means a lot, that you're interested in the plot and want to see the ending. so do i. anyways, it's basically about halfway finished right now, since it will be around 20 chapters. some of you may find that this is a lot like the philosopher's stone, with suspecting their professor and hagrid's secret revealing. i promise it has its pronounced changes though, and the end will totally shock you. it ends in no way like that. maybe you haven't noticed, and it's just me, but whatever. just saying. :P hope you like it! and look forward to the coming chapters... :)**

**P.S. - the chapter title, November Rain is a reference to the song by Guns'N'Roses. I do not own the title. **

**Chapter 10: November Rain**

After the break-in in Harry's office, chaos ensued. Students began to panic, as some were bright enough to connect this with the break-in at the ministry. Most, however, resorted to ridiculous rumours. Throughout the hallways, Albus often heard whispers of what they thought had happened, ranging from an escaped prisoner from Azkaban to a wild manticore entering the school grounds. It seemed only Albus, Rose, Sapphire, and Scorpius knew the truth, but listening to the deranged version of events was quite amusing.

Luckily, after they had regained their sight, Rose had enough sense to force them to run back to the Gryffindor common room. Not a moment too soon, actually. A few minutes after they had reached, hordes of students entered Gryffindor tower; same rules applying to the other houses. Apparently, an announcement had been made for all students to enter their common rooms. So far, they had no leads on who did it.

Albus knew that if he told his dad what he knew, it could possibly help him. But there were also consequences to that. A whole bunch of consequences. Resulting in him reaching eternal grounding. And even worse, scolding from his mother. If Albus told his father, he would no doubt keep an annoyingly close watch on him, even more so than usual; which was saying something. Also, he would probably get berated for suspecting "a trusted teacher" and "giving disregard for the rules". In truth, all of these would be bad, but nothing compared to the look of disappointment he knew he would see on his father's face. And so, for these reasons, he kept quiet, and convinced the others to do so as well. Rose was especially difficult to persuade, but Albus managed to keep her quiet by saying they had technically not captured Bulstrode, and the promise to confess should have only applied if the plan had worked.

Rose grudgingly agreed, and seemingly tried to forget this ever happened. This was proving to be hard, of course, the break-in being the main subject of the school. It was oddly similar to the Ministry's break-in; the thief looked for something that wasn't there. Harry had assured everyone that everything was fine, and now people were just wondering if this was someone's idea of a joke. Albus, however, knew better. He kept on the lookout for strange happenings, but nothing out of the ordinary seemed to occur recently. And it wasn't helping that the professors' idea to make everyone feel better was to assign more work.

"Who cares about the use of Mandrake root in a potion?" complained Sapphire, as they all met up in the library to finish their Potions essay.

"Apparently, Professor Bulstrode does," said Rose.

"Oh please, she only assigned it so the Gryffindors would suffer," claimed Scorpius. "You know she gives the Slytherins all O's and gives us D's without even reading through our work."

"She doesn't give Albus D's," said Sapphire.

"That's because Albus is great at Potions!" Rose explained.

"Well, you are too!" said Albus, trying to be modest.

Rose smiled. "Not as good as you; it comes naturally for you. There's a difference between memorizing a book and understanding it."

Albus tried to protest, but his friends had him cornered. He gave up, and stared out the window. He noticed Hagrid entering his hut from the Forbidden Forest, and an idea came to him.

"Hey, guys! Do you want to go down to Hagrid's?" Albus asked excitedly.

"Oh, you're just trying to get out of doing work," said Rose. "But then again, we haven't visited him since we got here...sure!" she replied enthusiastically.

Sapphire and Scorpius had to be convinced a little further.

"The gamekeeper?" Scorpius asked unenthusiastically.

"Not just the gamekeeper, he's a good friend of ours!" Albus argued.

"Are you sure?" asked Sapphire.

Eventually, Albus and Rose dragged them over to Hagrid's hut, where they introduced them to Hagrid.

"Hi, Hagrid!" greeted Albus as they knocked on the door to his house.

"Why, hello there Albus! And little Rosie! How've yeh been? I was wonderin' when yeh'd stop by. Come in, come in." Hagrid greeted happily.

Scorpius, who perked up immediately at the use of Rose's hated nickname, walked in joyfully. Sapphire was a little less exuberant, but walked in nonetheless. Soon, they found out that Hagrid was nothing to be afraid of, but rather a joy to be around.

Albus recounted all of his adventures (leaving out the secret ones of course) to Hagrid, who laughed merrily and offered them some of his famous fudge. Suddenly, a vicious-looking dog came in, and leaped at Sapphire. Sapphire screamed.

"Oi, Fang! Down, boy, down! Bloody rascal." Hagrid leaned over and tried to pry Fang away from Sapphire, but Fang had taken to licking Sapphire's face. Soon, her screams turned to laughs.

Hagrid smiled. "See? Yeh've got nothin' to be afraid of. Soft little pup, he is."

Scorpius chortled at his use of "little" and "pup". If they didn't know Hagrid's pets, they would've been running like the wind. This started a new topic on Hagrid's pets. The four friends had fun listening to Hagrid's adventures with magical creatures. "And then, yer dad got a lot of Thestrals ter come by, and he and his friends went runnin' off ter the Ministry!" Hagrid said, wiping a tear from his eye. It was interesting to hear about the messes that his dad had gotten into as a student. "Oh, I could spend all afternoon telling you about Harry and his mishaps with my animals!"

"That reminds me," Hagrid said suddenly. "I've got ter go check on me Nifflers. Someone's been tampering with them, I think. Found this ragged cloak caught on one of the trees in the Forest not long ago."

Albus nearly spit out his tea. This could be the first sign that the culprit was striking again. Looking at his friends, he saw that they had noticed too. Albus wasn't sure how to voice his concerns. If he worded it wrongly, Hagrid would realize he was prying and might inform his father. Luckily, Sapphire did it for him.

"Can you tell us about your Nifflers, Hagrid?" she asked politely and innocently.

Hagrid beamed. "Sure thing! Interesting creatures, they are. Can sense things of value buried in the ground. People use 'em fer treasure-hunting."

"Well, since you don't use them for treasure-hunting, what do you use them for?" Scorpius continued nonchalantly.

"Oh, just keep 'em here fer me classes," Hagrid said. "Part of the O.W.L. curriculum, actually." He chuckled. "Some students got excited by it, and tried to sneak some ter find some loot. O' course, they're trained to bite whoever tries ter use them. Except me, of course." Hagrid puffed out his chest proudly.

"But I thought you said you had to check on them. If they're trained to bite, then why worry?" Rose asked.

"Oh," Hagrid said, his voice turning sullen and worried. "I think someone must've been feeding them newt's eyes, that's their favourite treat. Can't imagine what they'd be looking for, of course, but I've alerted the Aurors anyways. Nothin' ter see in the Forbidden Forest, really. Just some bent up rumours about the Potest – " Hagrid stopped himself and turned to them. He laughed nervously, and tried to cover it up. "What I was saying, was that Nifflers often stick ter their environment. But they can get a place real messy while looking for somethin' shiny."

It was too late, though. They had all realized what Hagrid was going to say, and were obviously itching to discuss it.

"Hagrid, you were saying that the Potestum is in the Forbidden Forest?" Albus interrupted.

Hagrid tried to deny it weakly. "No, no, I was jus' talkin 'bout me Nifflers. Yeh know, they..." he trailed off when he noticed their expressions. He sighed. "Alrigh', it was jus' a mistake, mind yeh. I'm not supposed to tell yeh 'bout it."

"But Hagrid," Rose persisted. "What could we do about it? We're just first years, and a rumour wouldn't do anything to us!"

Hagrid sighed. "Alrigh'. There's been a rumour that only a hero of the purest soul can identify the Potestum and find its true location. It's been said ter be hidden somewhere on Hogwarts grounds, but it's jus' a story!"

"The Tale of the Three Brothers was just a story, but the Deathly Hallows turned out to be real," Scorpius pointed out oh-so-helpfully.

"Well, many have searched the Forbidden Forest, but most ended up dead. There are a lot of creatures in there, mind yeh. Even if it's true, don't worry a bit. A hero has to find it, so it can't fall inter the wrong hands." Hagrid shuddered at the thought. "Good thing, too. Just a light touch to the wrong person could result in the destruction of the world."

Albus glanced at his friends, then turned back to Hagrid eagerly. "Why? Is it a weapon? What does it do?"

Clearly, Albus wasn't as good as playing it cool like his friends. Hagrid's look quickly formed to one of worry, and he began to mutter to himself. "Shouldn't have told yeh that, really shouldn't have told yeh that..."

Sapphire, Rose, and Scorpius glared at Albus. He had just let slip their chances of finding out more.

Hagrid cleared his throat and looked at Albus. "Yeh know, Al. Yer a lot like yer father, yeh are. Great man, really, but always stuck his nose where it didn't belong." Hagrid checked his watch and exclaimed suddenly. "Would yeh look at the time? Better get in the castle!" With that, he ushered the four friends out of his hut, even though they protested that they still had an hour before curfew.

As they walked back to the castle, Sapphire, Scorpius, and Rose, and Albus began to discuss the revelations Hagrid had told them about. They had discovered a lot more about the Potestum, but not enough.

"A hero of the purest soul," Rose mused. "Isn't much to work off of. I mean, even if we found someone like that, we can't exactly clomp through the Forbidden Forest until we stumble upon it."

"Yeah, and are we even sure we should find it? Once we get it, it just becomes a whole lot easier to steal." Sapphire said.

Albus laughed. "You guys are talking like we're going to get in the forest and search. Plus you're overanalyzing."

"Well, someone is obviously going to try to steal it, if it really is a powerful weapon." Scorpius said. "Maybe we should notify...?"

"No," said Albus firmly. "And I've already told you why. We'll just work out the details on our own, and then we'll tell, like Rose's plan was. Clearly we're not going to find out anything unless we search for ourselves."

Rose replied slowly. "Okay...so, let's start at the top. Who do you think this hero is?"

Scorpius answered quickly. "I know who it is! I know who the noble hero with a pure soul is!"

"Really? Who?" asked Rose excitedly.

"Isn't it obvious? Hero? Pure soul? You're looking at him."

Rose scoffed. "You? You fit nowhere near the requirements! Look up arrogant in the dictionary and you'll see a picture of yourself."

"I take offense to that! Besides, is that any way to speak to your hero and role model? I'm the only one who can make the difference in the world."

"You're not the bloody hero! And role model? Who in their right mind would look up to you? But if it makes you feel any better, I know you'll make a difference in the world."

Scorpius, who was about to make a retort, stopped in surprise of her last comment. "Really?"

"Yes! A bad one!"

They bickered all the way back to the common room, insults ranging from "starstruck bookworm soon-to-be librarian" to "the next Dork Lord". Albus smirked, the insults making him surprisingly happy. He saw the same expression on Sapphire's face. Maybe in the midst of this whole mess, all they really needed was a couple of lighthearted moments with their friends.

Albus glanced out the window in the Gryffindor common room and noticed the rainy weather. There had been no sign of the culprit for about a month now. Most of the rumours and panicking had started to die down. But Albus knew that she was still out there, lying low. Waiting. Waiting for the perfect moment to strike. And he would be prepared.

Trying to ignore the pit of worry in his stomach that had formed at the end of September, he focused on other things. Schoolwork. Studies. Quidditch. Friends. But he found issues with that too. He had finished all his schoolwork (believe it or not), and was not having a particular difficulty with any subject. The first Quidditch game against Slytherin had already taken place, and his next match took place all the way in February. Friends. Things were going fine with his friends. Well, if you excluded Rose and Scorpius' constant bickering. But that was normal. The only thing he could really think about was the constant dreams, break-ins, and this Potestum thing that was badgering him since he got his first dream.

Albus sighed as the pit of worry formed into a whirlpool, churning his stomach inside out. In his dreams, the man would always show Albus his worst fears, memories, experiences and nightmares. And as he watched the dull, gloomy November rain, he couldn't help but feel like it was foreshadowing the events yet to come.


	11. Chapter 11: Snow Problem

**Well, here's the next update! I meant to upload yesterday, but oh well. Now you get two chapters! And the next one is pretty long. :) Thanks for the reviews, but please review as much as you can! I love hearing what people think about my story. Anyways, for those who have requested it, there is some Rose/Scorpius, cuz I find them really cute too. :P but not much. again, they're only 11. Anyways, have fun reading! :)**

**Chapter 11: Snow Problem**

As they entered December, students had seemingly forgotten about the break-in. It had been more than a month since Harry's office had been broken into. People had calmed down about the event; feeling reassured that they were safer now. There was no way that anyone could break in again, they thought. Not with Harry Potter, the world's saviour on the case. However, Albus thought that the culprit would strike again soon. He was not the only one with these suspicions; he knew Rose, Sapphire, and Scorpius shared them. And he couldn't be more grateful for that.

While people may have assumed that nothing was going to happen, Albus' dreams had a different view. From the way that the man was speaking, it sounded like he was going to try again soon. Albus recalled one of them as he stepped foot in Transfiguration.

"_You've hidden it well," said the man. "But this is not a game, child. I will do whatever it takes to find the Potestum."_

_Albus sighed and answered for what seemed like the millionth time. "I've told you, I have no idea where it is! Or what it is, for that matter. Maybe if you told me...?"_

"_Lies! All of it!" exclaimed the man. "I admit, you are a good actor. But no one can fool me. I am at the advantage here, not you. You are in no position to contradict me."_

"_I'm not contradicting you! You're asking the wrong person! I don't know anything about what you're trying to ask me!"_

_The man stepped forward. Albus gulped and tried to avoid his gaze. He already knew what would happen if he looked into the man's eyes, and personally, he didn't want to go through it again. Unfortunately, the man seemed to have a different idea about that. He stood directly in front of Albus, lifted his chin, and forced him to look straight at him._

_Suddenly, Albus was in a graveyard. He looked around, seeing many gravestones surrounding him. He frowned, wondering where he was. He began to read the names on the gravestones, and his heart stopped. Here lies Harry James Potter. Here lies Ginevra Molly Weasley. Here lies James Sirius Potter. Here lies Lily Luna Potter. Here lies Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy. Here lies Rose Nymphadora Weasley. Here lies Sapphire Willow Todesworth. _

_Then, the scene changed. His friends and family were chained to a wall. Albus stood, facing a wizard in dark robes with his wand. He got ready to strike, but his wand left him immediately for some reason. He had not so much seen the wizard utter a word or flick his wand. Then, searing pain. It was so great it made him fall to his knees, screaming and crying. But he wasn't the only one. His friends and family started screaming and crying along with him, begging Albus to help. Albus tried to get up, but he couldn't. He merely collapsed, his dying breath spent listening to everyone he cared about wail in misery, knowing Albus was their only hope to survive._

_All of a sudden, Albus was back with the man. This time, he was determined to keep his eyes closed._

_The man laughed. Albus shuddered; the man's laugh sounded like explosions and destruction, the way it boomed with an undertone of danger._

"_You will tell me where it is," he said, smiling evilly. _

_Albus tried to choke out a response but found he couldn't use his voice._

"_Nothing to say? Shame. Coward, you are. I will destroy everything meaningful to you if you do not tell me. You've seen it for yourself. Letting other die for you? No greater dishonour."_

"_But I have no idea where it is!" Albus managed to say._

_The man frowned. "I see you're still being difficult. I would have thought you cared about your family. No matter, this will not deter me. I have one last location to check. If that turns out not to be the venue...you will truly regret it, Albus Severus Potter. You will experience true pain, which is much, much worse than what you feel now."_

_He laughed again, and Albus screamed. A whirlpool of colours surrounded him, drowning him in his misery._

Albus opened his eyes. He was on the floor, in the Transfiguration classroom, sweating profusely. Around him, he saw the worried eyes of Rose, Sapphire, and Scorpius. Professor Laxford was also looking extremely anxious. The Slytherins, however, were whispering to each other and looking at him strangely. Some were sniggering.

Albus rolled his eyes. He was sure to hear of this later. The great Albus Potter, fainting in class for no reason.

"Mr. Potter, are you alright?" asked a concerned-looking Professor Laxford.

"Yeah, Potty, need your mummy to come so you can faint in her arms?" whispered Goyle.

Albus clenched his teeth. "I'm fine." He muttered. "Let's just continue with the lesson."

"Oh, no, Mr. Potter. I refuse for you to stay if you're not feeling well. Head up to the Hospital Wing and get a calming draught from Madam Clearwater, would you? I would have you discuss this with Headmistress McGonagall, but she isn't with us currently. Maybe you can talk to her when she returns later this evening." Professor Laxford said.

Albus sighed and obliged. There was obviously going to be no arguing with his professor on this one.

"Would anyone like to go with Mr. Potter?" he asked, just making things worse.

"Yeah, Potty needs a bodyguard to walk up two floors with him!" snickered one of Goyle's friends.

Apparently the professor had not heard this comment, and searched the room. "Ah, Miss Todesworth. Why don't you assist your friend Albus?"

"Of course," she replied quickly. She and Albus left the room and headed up to the Hospital Wing. As soon as they left the classroom, she faced Albus and hissed, "What happened?"

"I don't know! I was just in class, thinking about my dream, and I found myself on the floor when I stopped!" Albus exclaimed.

"Well, what we saw was you were sitting in class, looking dazed, when suddenly you started shivering. Then your eyes rolled up and you fainted for about five minutes, while Slytherins laughed at you and Rose threw them glares." Sapphire said matter-of-factly. "Maybe when you were thinking about it, it caused you to have another dream."

Albus stared at her. "That's kind of creepy. So I can't even think about them?"

Sapphire shrugged. "I don't know, it's your dream! But I guess so, seeing the results we got."

Albus sighed. "Fine, I won't dwell on them anymore. But this dream was the worst by far."

Sapphire looked curious. "What was it about?" she asked.

"I'll tell you later, when Rose and Scorpius are around." Albus said. With that, he headed into the Hospital Wing to get a calming draught, knowing it would do nothing to help. However, he knew Professor Laxford would check, and so he reluctantly consumed it. He headed back to the common room, knowing Transfiguration would be over by now and his friends would bring his things. He sat in an armchair by the fire and sank into it, waiting to have another discussion with his friends.

Rose and Scorpius, led by Sapphire, entered the common room and walked over to Albus. "Okay, spill." said Rose simply as she dropped her things as well as Albus' on the side table by the furnace.

Albus relayed his dream word for word and watched as their expressions grew to looks of horror and confusion. It was actually quite scary that he remembered it exactly; every single detail. Well, it had been really vivid, but he didn't know how he memorized every single thing that went down.

"How do you remember it word for word?" asked Rose curiously, voicing is thoughts.

Albus shrugged. "I don't know, really. I guess it was so vivid I memorized everything."

Scorpius, Sapphire, and Rose exchanged looks of worry.

"Well, what do you think will happen if he doesn't find it at that last location?" asked Sapphire nervously.

Albus frowned. "I don't know. He said I would experience pain worse than what I felt during the dreams. I don't really see how that's possible though, since they're awful to begin with."

Rose and Sapphire shuddered simultaneously. Scorpius just looked thoughtful.

"Hmm...maybe actually feeling it will be worse. Maybe he'll do the things you saw in his eyes, and it'll feel a lot worse in real life." mused Scorpius.

Albus, Rose, and Sapphire just stared at him. "Thanks, that's real reassuring." Albus said sarcastically. "But I guess you're right."

"Well, what are we going to do?" asked Rose worriedly.

"We don't know anything yet. Once he checks this location, we worry. Maybe he'll find it there!" Sapphire said.

"How is that any better? If he finds the Potestum, and it really is as powerful as we've heard, then we're probably in more danger!" exclaimed Scorpius.

"So we're done for either way," concluded Rose. "What should we do?"

"Let's start at square one," Sapphire suggested. "Where do you think this location is? If we find it and stop him, then everything would be alright."

Albus sat up suddenly and breathed out his thought, "McGonagall's office." He whispered. "Remember in Transfiguration? Professor Laxford told us McGonagall wasn't here. And she's the headmistress of the school, close to my father. Where else would he think a good location for the Potestum is?"

Scorpius frowned. "That's true," he admitted. "But we don't know when he's going to do it!"

Now it was Rose's turn to add on. "Yes we do," she said. "Right now. Laxford said she'd be back by evening, right? Well, don't you think that's a little convenient? Bulstrode's probably already in her office. She knows the password, too, so she could get it for him! If it's there, of course."

Sapphire started. "Well, alright then, let's go! We've got a half hour till curfew, so we don't have to leave so sneakily."

Albus stared. "Now? But we don't have a plan!"

Rose rolled her eyes. "We don't need a plan. She won't know that we're there, and we can disarm and incapacitate her like we intended to last time."

Albus sighed, still thinking that it should have been thought through a bit more. However, seeing the truth in his friends' words, he agreed. "Alright, let's go!"

They exited the Fat Lady's portrait, and began to walk the corridors, trying to avoid suspicion. They chatted as though they were merely walking together, and not like they were going to catch a criminal. They were almost there, and Albus felt a thrill of excitement. They were going to catch her this time for sure, he thought. Unfortunately, this is where their luck went bad. Goyle and his goons stepped out from behind a wall, their wands withdrawn.

"Going for a nightly stroll, eh, Potty?" he jeered.

"Leave us alone," growled Sapphire. "Or you'll be angling for a rematch."

"Yeah, like we're so scared of you. Mummy! Mummy! I'm going to faint!" one of his goons said, imitating Albus in class. "We haven't forgiven you for those detentions, and look around! Daddy can't save you now."

"No, but we can." answered Scorpius.

All four of them raised their wands and started muttering incantations. Albus threw Goyle across the hallway, while Sapphire disarmed his friend. Scorpius attempted to block a spell, but it him and he banged into the wall. Rose growled and moved her wand; a welt appearing on Goyle's friend's forehead, no doubt the result of a Stinging Hex. At this point, they realized they were outmatched, and took to fleeing. Scorpius got up and they all congratulated each other. However, their joy was short-lived as they all remembered the reason they went out anyway.

All four rushed to the Head's study's entrance. All they saw was a swirl of dark robes turn a corner. They followed, but the person just vanished without a trace. They were too late.

After their failed attempt at finally capturing Bulstrode, they received no further clues for the month of December. Albus' dreams had also stopped occurring. His friends tried to cheer him up using this piece of information, but this actually made Albus more curious. Had they stopped because the man found it? Or because he had failed, and was plotting revenge on Albus? He was nervous either way, and half-hoped he would have another dream to find out what had happened.

He guessed the reason soon enough, though. An announcement in the Great Hall had stated that Professor McGonagall's office had been searched thoroughly. However, to assure the students, they told them that nothing was taken. This just made Albus more uneasy. This meant that he should get ready for whatever "pain" the man from Albus' dreams had in store for him.

These were his thoughts as he stared out the window on the ride to King's Cross from the Hogwarts Express. He could barely believe that Christmas was just around the corner. He had been so caught up with everything he had forgotten about the holidays. Maybe he would be safer at home, Albus thought. Nothing could happen with his parents and siblings just a few rooms away.

Rose interrupted his thoughts as she bickered with Scorpius yet again. Albus smiled and listened in, realizing this would probably be their last argument until January.

"If you're so great, why does no one but us talk to you of their own accord?" asked Rose.

"They would, but they're too scared to approach someone as spectacular as me. Plus, you're always around, which drives them off. You think you're so smart, using fancy words like "accord"!" retorted Scorpius.

"If you think "accord" is fancy, I can see why no one approaches you. You wouldn't be able to hold up a conversation!"

"How would you know? No one talks to you but us, and I just do it out of pity."

"Like you're so popular! At least people acknowledge me; they just treat you like you're invisible!"

"I wish you were invisible! That way, I wouldn't have to look at you."

"Oh, you don't like my look? I'm sorry; I was trying to look like you this morning!"

"So you try to copy the way I look? Why am I not surprised..."

"Oh, I like that comeback! It reminds me of something I would've used when I was young and stupid!"

"So you see it too?"

"You're calling me stupid? Look, I don't know what your problem is, but I bet it's hard for you to pronounce."

It would've continued, but the train lurched to a stop. They had reached.

Sapphire sighed. "Oh, thank the heavens. You two sound like an old married couple."

"If I was her husband, I'd put poison in her every meal." Scorpius said, determined to get the last word.

"Please. If I was your wife, I'd eat them!" Rose retorted.

Albus and Sapphire had to laugh at that one. All four of them stepped off the train and looked for their parents.

"Well, I see my parents. Bye guys! Hope you write!" Sapphire said cheerfully. She hugged Rose and Scorpius, then leaned over to hug Albus. As she did, Albus felt a strange, warm feeling come over him. Shaking it off, he noticed his parents and slapped hands with Scorpius as a goodbye. Rose just shook his hand awkwardly, and ran off to her parents.

"Well, bye Scorpius!" Albus said.

"Bye, Al! See you soon!" Scorpius said. He walked over to his parents, whom Albus noticed were looking at him strangely. Albus supposed it was because of the old rivalry between their families, and ignored it. He simply hugged his mum and his sister, Lily, and walked with them to their car.


	12. Chapter 12: A Christmas Story

**Note: This title does not belong to me. It is the original name of the classic film from 1983. Title credit goes to the creators.**

**Chapter 12: A Christmas Story**

Being home for the holidays was great, although his mum hugged him a lot more than usual, and his sister, Lily, annoyed him to no end. Apparently this was her way of showing that she missed him, according to his father. Well, couldn't she miss him just a little less? He was getting tired of her constant queries about Hogwarts. How big is the castle? What are the classes like? What spells do you learn? When do you get to take Care of Magical Creatures?

Albus sighed and tried to answer all her questions without being too rude. However, it was getting on his nerves when he had to answer questions that seemed extremely obvious.

"What do you do after curfew?" she would ask.

"Umm, sleep?" Albus answered.

"Why don't you talk to your friends?"

"I talk to them all day, and I talk to them after curfew sometimes too."

"What about your other friends, in Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin?"

"I can't talk to them after curfew, because I have to be in the common room before then!"

"Why?"

"Because that's what curfew is! You get in your common room before a certain time!"

"Then how do you talk to your friends in other houses?"

"YOU DON'T!" Albus exclaimed.

Lily pouted and shouted down the stairs. "Mom, Dad, Albus is being rude to me when I ask him questions!"

"Albus, don't do that!" reprimanded his mother.

His father simply sighed, understanding how Albus was feeling. "Lily, why don't you go talk to James?"

Lily smiled and ran up to James' room. Harry winked at Albus, who visibly relaxed and took pleasure in knowing that James would be annoyed. As if on cue, he heard a shout from James' room.

"NO, I HAVE NOT MET THE MERMAIDS IN THE LAKE!"

"Dad, James is yelling!"

"Give it a rest you two!" his father said, resulting in both of them shutting up.

For the rest of the night, Albus enjoyed what might have been his last few moments of peace. He was sure Lily was going to bombard him with more questions later; she was just waiting until their parents weren't around. To avoid this, he claimed that he was going to go to bed early.

He went up to his room and starting organizing his presents; having nothing else to do. He had gotten his brother a broom cleaner set, and his sister a copy of _Hogwarts: A History. _Maybe that would stop her from asking him so much. Of course, he wasn't going to tell her that. For his parents, he had bought a large slab of Honeydukes' chocolate from Hogsmeade. He had asked his cousin Roxanne to get it, as she was in her third year and could visit the village.

Meanwhile, he had gotten Rose a book called _Hogwarts: An Insider's Account_. Apparently it told about the secrets of Hogwarts, with all its passages and enchantments and such. For Sapphire, knowing she enjoyed professional Quidditch, he had gotten a signed poster of Puddlemere United's new Seeker. This was easy for him, as his parents knew a lot of people. Finally, he had purchased some Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes products for Scorpius. He knew that Scorpius enjoyed much of it, but his parents wouldn't let him go there very often.

He called his owl, Amber (named for her amber eyes), and placed his letters and gifts to Sapphire and Scorpius in her beak. He could simply give Rose her gift when they met up on Christmas morning.

Albus got into his bed, and stared at the ceiling while thinking about his dreams. Would the man show up again? Did Albus want him to? Was he going to be okay? Why couldn't he just tell his father? He could only answer the last one. He couldn't tell his father because he would just shut him out, like he always did. With these troubled thoughts in his head, he slowly drifted off to sleep.

Christmas Eve approached quickly; with a huge dinner being prepared for the entire family. It took a full day of preparation, with the kids helping out too. Well, not really. They were mostly running around the Potter household, rigging a bunch of pranks on different household items. Like when Fred placed a Springy Seat on an armchair in the living room, and caused Uncle Ron to jump up to the ceiling when he sat on it.

"Come on kids, time for dinner!" Ginny yelled from the kitchen. Everyone took a seat at the dining table, magically enlarged so everyone would fit. There were all kinds of dishes, from steak and kidney pie to treacle tart. Albus stuffed himself until he couldn't eat anymore, as did the others.

The entire family was currently trading stories; the adults of their younger days, and the children of misadventures they had gotten into.

"So then James and I started running away from Filch, but his robes got caught on the suit of armour on the fourth floor. He hadn't realized, and tried to keep running, but then metal went flying everywhere! We were laughing our heads off, but we hadn't realized that Filch had gotten back on his feet. We began to run again, but this time Filch was on to us." Fred narrated.

James continued where he had left off. "At this point, our good ol' pal Peeves came by carrying Remembralls from the DADA classroom. He dumped them all on the floor in front of Filch. Anyways, you can guess what happened next. It all ended with a – "

_BANG! _A noise issued from somewhere outside the house, cutting James off.

"Well, actually that is how it ended." said James reproachfully.

_BANG! _The noise sounded again; this one even louder than the first.

Harry was the first to react; he put up a shield charm around the house quickly. All the adults ran outside; only Ron, Hermione, and Harry staying behind.

"Kids, I want you to go upstairs right now and hide." Harry said swiftly.

At this, most members of the Potter-Weasley family yelled or made noises of protest.

"What? But we want to fight!" yelled James.

"Is everything we've been learning in Defence against the Dark Arts a lie, then?" asked Fred simultaneously.

"We've been in Hogwarts for six years! I think we're old enough not to hide!" said Lucy, speaking both for herself and her twin sister, Molly.

Ron and Hermione began to argue with all of them, while everyone argued back. Eventually, Harry was tired of it all and yelled "ENOUGH!" Most, having never heard Harry raise his voice, shut up immediately.

Harry scratched his head and sighed. He knew he would pay for this dearly later, but obviously a compromise had to be reached. "Okay, Hogwarts second-years and above, get out and fight."

Everyone but Rose, Albus, Lily, and Hugo jumped up and ran outside. Hermione started muttering incantations, no doubt to protect the house and people in it, while Ron ran out to fight as well.

Meanwhile, the four children left dropped their mouths open.

"But Dad," started Albus, enraged. "If James can fight, why can't I?"

"Because you're just a first year! James at least has the experience from his first year to help. You've only learned a handful of defensive spells, since it's only been four months since you've reached!" Harry explained.

"What about us?" said Lily, gesturing to herself and Hugo.

Harry looked increasingly stern. "Absolutely not. Completely out of the question. You don't have wands, and for that matter, you don't even know magic! You two are marching straight upstairs."

Hermione nodded in agreement.

Rose continued to argue. "You said we've only learned a handful of defensive spells. I know some second year and third year spells too! I've been teaching Albus!"

Albus knew she was lying about teaching him, but he wasn't going to argue if it would get him outside.

Harry sighed. "Just like you, Hermione."

Hermione smiled, but still disagreed with Rose and Albus. "I'm sorry, but I don't think we can let you outside. That's final."

Albus could not believe what he was hearing. Was all that talk about being prepared for the real world in DADA fake then? Rose had the same expression on her face as Albus'. Disappointment. Confusion. Anger. They slowly trudged towards the staircase, feeling miserable. It wasn't fair. They had every right to fight.

"I'm sorry guys, but you'll get the chance when you're older. Believe me, I know." Harry called after them. "It's safer this way."

Unfortunately, Harry had no say in what was safe at that moment. The door burst open, and Albus was sad to say that it wasn't any of his relatives that stepped in. Around ten men dressed in black robes and matching masks and hats stepped in, and spells were fired all over the place.

"Run up the stairs!" Harry yelled as he and Hermione fought off the men. Harry was good, Albus thought, but Hermione was amazing. She had all ten of them down in about ten seconds flat. But more of them kept pouring in. It seemed there was a never-ending supply of them. As good as they were, they couldn't hold all of them off, as Albus knew. They would eventually get tired. Realizing that his father wanted nothing more than for Albus to be safe, he and Rose decided to oblige. They were halfway up the stairs when a curse blasted it to bits. Rose screamed as she and Albus fell to the ground. Rose yelled "Arresto Momentum!" and she floated six inches off the ground, then collapsed, completely fine.

Albus however, wasn't as lucky. He had been holding the railing at the top, and was now clinging to it desperately. Rose had already fallen, not realizing that Albus was still up there. His hands slipping, he finally had to release it, and he plunged to the ground only to hear a sickening crack. Pain shooting up his leg, he realized that he had probably broken his ankle. Albus winced. It was going to take a little more than a simple "Episkey!" to fix this.

Hermione and Harry, if it even seemed possible, were fighting harder than ever. Perhaps seeing their kids in pain had energized them.

"Not our kids," Hermione growled. "Take us, but not the kids!"

Harry yelled over to them, "Rose, Albus, are you okay?

Rose yelled back for the both of them. "I'm fine, but I think Albus broke his ankle! He can't get up!"

Harry cursed and continued to duel as he yelled. "Well, looks like there's nothing else to do. Pull out your wands and fight! They have us surrounded!"

Albus looked around and saw that it was true. Some had entered through the back door too. Rose excitedly pulled hers out and began shooting spells that Albus didn't even recognize. Harry and Hermione stopped for a second in surprise of her exemplary duelling skills. She had already taken out three full-grown men. Then they shook themselves back to reality and began fighting again.

Albus, determined not to let his ankle come in the way of their victory, used it to his advantage. He covered himself in rubble and began shooting spells from the tiniest hole he had made. He whispered spells as quietly as possible, disarming or incapacitating men in some way, much to their surprise. Things were actually going quite well. There were only a few men trailing in now; the four of them having taken out most of them.

Suddenly, Albus heard a scream from upstairs. His blood froze. Lily. Hugo. He tried to get up, but it was no use. His ankle prevented him from doing so. And even if he was fine, how would he get up the stairs? Rose would know. Rose. He tried to yell out to her, but found it didn't matter. She had rushed to tell Harry and Hermione of the scream. Rose could probably get up there and fight herself, but she knew she would get in trouble if she did. Defending was alright, but chasing after the people would result in eternal grounding.

Harry's expression hardened as he jumped up from the first floor to the second floor (using a spell that Albus did not remember) and ran down the hallway to where more screams were emerging. He blasted two men into the hall, and they fell where the stairs were supposed to be. Later, two more men emerged from another room, but not because Harry had blasted them. They were escaping. They ran out of the house before capture, and jumped over the fence in the backyard. He heard a loud crack. No doubt they had disapparated.

A few seconds later, a huge booming noise echoed through the room. It was so deafening that Albus heard nothing else; no spells, screams, or threats. The room filled with fog. Albus coughed, and he watched as his Aunt Hermione made the fog disappear. But after that, Albus stared open-mouthed at what lay behind. Nothing. The bodies littered over the floor had disappeared, and as he heard the cries of relief and confusion outside, he knew the people out there had vanished as well.

The adults trailed inside, most looking terrible. There had been quite a number of people out there.

"How'd it go in here?" asked Uncle Percy.

Hermione sighed. "We drove them off okay, but Albus has a broken ankle...and I don't know what happened to Lily and Hugo yet. We heard screams, and Harry rushed upstairs to see what happened."

Ginny's expression hardened, and she jumped up the gap as Harry had. Ginny and Harry came down; Ginny carrying Lily and Harry carrying Hugo. Lily looked okay, no wounds, but she seemed dishevelled. Hugo, on the other hand, was pale, with blood dripping down his side.

Hermione and Ron rushed forward, as did Rose. They quickly closed up all the wounds and hugged Hugo, who was still looking terrified. Harry and Ginny hugged Lily, who also looked scared and in pain, but Albus could still see no wounds.

As if voicing his thoughts, Harry said simply, "The Cruciatus Curse". Like they had planned it, everyone collectively shuddered and tried to console Lily.

It was decided that they would all stay here tonight. Hermione went out and performed protective enchantments. No one bothered to help; they knew she didn't need any. She was the only one who didn't have a hair out of place. She re-entered, and sleeping arrangements were made. The kids would share all the upstairs rooms while the adults slept on the couches and on the floor downstairs. Before they went to bed, they all headed to the living room to bid each other good night and make sure everyone was okay. Albus' ankle was healed, but still a little stiff.

All huddled together, no one said a word. As usual, it was Ron to break the silence.

"Well, some Christmas Eve, huh?"

The next day, no one, not even the kids, bothered to wake up really early for Christmas. They all simply gathered in the living room around the Christmas tree. Albus smiled as he opened his presents. He had gotten what he had expected; some Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes products and sweets. From Rose, however, he had gotten a full set of Quidditch Chaser gear. Al was surprised, expecting a book of some sort.

He smiled and thanked her. "Thanks Rose! It must've cost you a fortune! It really is amazing."

Rose grinned and waved it off. "Nah, not that much. I had a lot saved. And I loved your book; I've never read it before and it has a lot of interesting facts."

Harry suddenly stepped up in front of everyone. "Albus, I have another gift for you. Here it is." He handed Albus a package, and Albus opened it up.

"Umm...a cloak? Thanks Dad..." Albus said confusedly.

Harry laughed. "Why don't you try it on?"

Albus shrugged and draped it around himself. Then, his jaw dropped. "I'm invisible!"

Harry smiled. "It's my invisibility cloak. My dad passed it down to me, and now I think I should pass it on to you. Use it well."

There were gasps of admiration around the room; many people didn't know Harry possessed this.

From James, however, there was a squeak of indignation.

"Why does Albus get the cloak?" he whined. "Why not me?"

Harry sighed. "It's only fair, James. You have the Map."

James' jaw dropped. "Uhh...what Map?" he stammered.

Harry laughed. "James, who are you trying to kid? The Marauder's Map. I know you nicked it from my dresser in first year."

"Oh. In that case, Albus can have the cloak." James said hurriedly, probably embarrassed.

Albus frowned. He was about to ask what the Map was, when an owl came in carrying two letters. They were addressed to himself and Rose.

_Dear Albus,_

_Hope you're having a good holiday! Mine's okay so far. Anyways, there's a reason I didn't send your Christmas presents already. I was wondering if you would like to come over to my house for the rest of the holiday! I can give you your presents then, unless you decide not to come. I've sent similar letters to Sapphire and Rose (as much as it pains me). So please send your response quickly! It gets so lonely here at the mansion...hope you can come!_

_Your friend,_

_Scorpius H. Malfoy_

He read over Rose's shoulder and found that her letter was practically the same, except for a few insults thrown in. Also, at the end, it said "Love, Scorpius" instead of "Your friend." Rose turned red as he mentioned this, and Albus sniggered. Now he had something to tease them about. He turned to see curious expressions on the faces of his relatives. Obviously, they were wondering who the letters were from and what they said.

"Umm..." Albus started hesitantly. Clearly Rose wasn't going to say anything yet. "Our friend invited us over to his house for the rest of the holidays. Can we go? Our other friend is going too; she's Rose's best friend, Sapphire."

Harry nodded, as did Ron. "Okay," Harry said. "Who's this friend? Where does he live?"

Rose spoke up. "I think you're familiar with the location, actually..."

Harry stared at her and answered slowly. "Okay...so what's his name?"

Rose looked at Albus. Apparently they were taking turns. "Umm...Scorpius." whispered Albus.

Ron sat up straight in his chair and nearly yelled. "Malfoy!?"

Hermione tried to calm him down. "We've made up with their family, remember Ronald?" she whispered.

"Have you forgotten everything he's done, though? This is the man we've hated for most of our bloody lives! He's probably just...drawing them over there to attack them or something!" Ron exclaimed.

"No," said Rose quietly. Everyone looked at her in surprise. "It's his son, not his father. It's not fair to blame him for his father's mistakes."

Apparently these words had sunk in. "Alright, Albus, you can go. Just...be careful, alright? Things haven't completely smoothed over as of yet." Harry said.

Ron still looked unconvinced. "But they're...but..." He clearly couldn't come up with a good enough argument, seeing as Rose had already shot the other idea down.

"Dad, I can take care of myself if I get in any danger." She said.

Hermione smiled. "I know you can, Rosie. Which is why you can go, as long as you write about your holiday. Right, Ronald?" she glared at Ron, who gave in.

"Well, alright...I suppose..."

Albus jumped up excitedly and wrote one letter to Scorpius from the both of them. He simply wrote:

_Dear Scorpius,_

_We can go. Me and Rose. Don't worry; your holiday won't be as boring soon. We've got loads to tell you._

_Your friend,_

_Albus_

Albus and Rose ran up the stairs, ignoring the complaints that his other relatives brought up about Scorpius. He simply found his suitcase, reached into his wardrobe, and started packing.


	13. Chapter 13: Malfoy Manor

**Here's the next chapter! I don't think I wrote it very well...:(. Sorry if you wanted to see more of Scorpius' family; there'll be more in the next chapter! But for now, here you go! Please review (well, you can if you want, but I enjoy them :P)! **

**Chapter 13: Malfoy Manor**

"Alright, kids! Are you ready to leave?" Harry called to Rose and Albus as they headed down the stairs with their luggage.

"Almost!" Albus yelled, as he quickly packed a set of wizards' chess, Exploding Snap cards, and Gobstones. Maybe they would get bored, Albus thought.

Rose had just packed her clothes, some books (obviously), and some chocolate for if she was hungry.

Albus walked down the stairs alongside Rose with their bags.

"Now remember, you're going to go to King's Cross with the Malfoys. We'll bring your other things at the station, so no need to take your school stuff." Harry said.

Rose and Albus nodded, and Harry held out both his hands. They were going to use side-along apparatition, so they had to hold on to Harry. "One, two, three!" he said, and suddenly Albus was thrown through a whole bunch of spirals. They landed on the grass in front of Malfoy Manor.

Harry hesitated for a second, but walked up the steps and knocked on the door three times. A man with white-blonde hair opened it up. He looked like an older version of Scorpius, but with different coloured eyes. The resemblance was actually quite striking.

"Good morning, Draco," said Harry evenly.

"You as well, Harry," answered Mr. Malfoy stiffly.

"Well, I've brought the kids," said Harry, gesturing to Rose and Albus. "Feel free to call if they're being any trouble, or anything." Harry said. "Behave, okay?" he said sternly to them.

They nodded. Harry smiled and looked back at Draco, who simply said, "Of course." Staring, all four of them just stood there awkwardly, until Harry cleared his throat and spoke to fill the silence.

"Well, I've got to get going now. Work...and all. I'll see you next week! Have a good holiday!" Harry said, waving and giving his last goodbye. With those words, he apparated out. Draco eyed Rose and Albus, as if looking them over through a security check. He merely stepped inside, holding the door open, and gesturing for them to come in. They immediately obliged; stepping into an enormous room while looking at a beaming Astoria Malfoy. She seemed a lot nicer, with chocolate-brown wavy hair and a smiling face.

"Scorpius, your friends are here!" she called up the stairs. They could hear thumping as Scorpius ran down to greet them. He smiled and ushered them upstairs. As he told them, Sapphire had not arrived yet. He showed Rose to the room she would be sharing with Sapphire, and led them to his room (which he and Albus would be sharing) after she had put her things away.

"Okay, so, this is where you sleep," Scorpius said, pointing to the bed next to his. "We have a lot of time until dinner, so we can just hand out in my room."

"When is Sapphire getting here?" asked Rose.

"She should be here in about – " Scorpius started, the doorbell cutting him off. "Now, actually."

They all ran down and Scorpius opened the door. Sapphire smiled and hugged Rose, simply nodding at the boys. Albus felt strangely disappointed by this. He shook it off, and Scorpius took them all upstairs again, showing Sapphire where she'd be sleeping, and leading them back to his room.

"I'd offer you all your own guest rooms, considering we have like, ten, but my parents say that you'd get lonely and it's safer this way, or something." Scorpius said.

Sapphire laughed. "It's fine, the guest room is huge by itself."

"No, no," said Scorpius. "I really am sorry. Now you have to share a room with _that_," he said while gesturing to Rose.

Rose opened her mouth, no doubt to make a comeback like, "Nice insult, but don't let your mind wander. It's too small to be let out on its own." However, Albus beat her to it, maybe because he didn't want another bickering session to start, or maybe because he wanted to embarrass Scorpius. Either way, it worked fine for him.

"Really, Scorpius? You're calling her "_that_"? Last time I checked, you sent little Rosie your love." Albus said.

Sapphire looked at him. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Oh, Scorpius here felt the need to finish off his letter to Rose with "Love, Scorpius" instead of "Your friend"."

"Really? He wrote "Your friend" on mine, too! What a strange coincidence!" Sapphire exclaimed.

To this, both Rose and Scorpius blushed immediately.

"It was a spur-of-the-moment thing, okay?" snapped Scorpius.

"Nice "spurring" it to us, too," sniggered Sapphire.

"It was just a letter greeting! Grow up!" said Rose, to both Albus and Sapphire.

"Yeah, you know you would never say that. You're not being yourselves today; I noticed the improvement right away." said Scorpius.

"And remember, if you have something to say, raise your hand," said Rose. "Then put it over your mouth."

This started a new barrage of insults towards Albus and Sapphire. Albus immediately regretted his plan; it had obviously backfired. He could take insults, but Rose and Scorpius, who were experts, seemed relentless.

By the time everyone had stopped bickering, they were all laughing so hard that tears were coming out of their eyes. After a few more jokes, they started talking about regular things, like schoolwork or Quidditch. Before they knew it, it was time for lunch. All four of them headed down to the dining hall and took a seat. Albus was about to take a seat next to Rose, but found it quickly occupied by Scorpius. He looked at him for a moment, wondering if it was on purpose. He grinned; thinking he had some new blackmail material. Instead, he gladly took a seat next to Sapphire as the meal was served. Mrs. Malfoy had made potato and onion stew with bread.

"This is wonderful, Mrs. Malfoy." Rose claimed, voicing Albus' thoughts. She blushed and smiled.

"Stop being a kiss-up, Rose." Scorpius said as Rose glared at him.

"I'm not being a kiss-up, I was just being nice!" she insisted.

"Likely story," muttered Scorpius.

Apparently his mother had had enough. "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy," she began, as Scorpius winced at the use of his full name. "It is okay to insult me, but not our guest! Now, I want you to apologize to her immediately."

Scorpius turned to Rose, refusing to meet her eyes, for he could practically feel the smug smile on her face. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Good, now never do it again," said Mrs. Malfoy, as she carried their dishes to the kitchen. As soon as she did so, Rose snorted.

"More like you won't do it in the next five seconds," said Rose. Before Scorpius could respond, she asked him a question. "Hey, where's the bathroom? I need to wash my hands."

"Go down the corridor to the left, and it should be the third door on the right." said Scorpius.

Rose left in that direction, but didn't return for about ten minutes.

"What's the matter, Rose?" Albus asked. "Why'd it take you so long to get out?"

Rose waved him off. "Oh, I was out of there in about a minute. I just noticed the huge library across from it...and got interested." She ended, embarrassedly.

"It's alright," Scorpius said. "Don't see what's so interesting about it though. Most of those books are filled with dark magic."

"Yeah, well, I saw a couple of interesting ones in there. Mind if I go look?" Rose asked eagerly.

Scorpius shrugged. "Knock yourself out," he said. "Only you could read textbooks on holiday."

"I'll take that as a compliment," said Rose, as she went back to the corridor to read in the library.

Albus piped up. "Hey, do you mind if I go too? It just seems interesting..."

Scorpius looked at him for a moment, then smiled. "Rose is rubbing off on you. You know, I guess we could all go if you're so interested."

Albus, Scorpius, and Sapphire followed Rose to the library, where they saw her looking through titles of different books on the shelves. She picked up a few and headed for a chair in the corner.

Albus wandered through a shelf that read _Dark Curses and Jinxes._ He picked one up, and immediately put it back after looking at a picture of a person bleeding profusely. He moved on to another row, and kept looking around for an interesting book. Finally, he found one that read _Mysteries of the Wizarding World. _He flipped through a few pages, and found some interesting information; like that the magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts existed there because of a dark wizard gathering exotic animals for his army. They all listened to him, until a powerful hero came by and killed him. This ended his tirade, and the dark magic that kept the creatures under his command was broken. Grateful for the help, they had resided in a newly-made forest to protect Hogwarts from invaders for eternity. Albus read on, quite interested, until he saw something particularly interesting and gasped.

"Guys, come over here!" Albus said. Sapphire, Scorpius, and Rose, who had put down her book, ran over to Albus.

"What's going on, Albus?" asked Sapphire.

"Read this," he said excitedly.

_HOGWARTS: THE FORBIDDEN FOREST_

_Many mysteries reside at Hogwarts, from the Chamber of Secrets to the passage to the Shrieking Shack (both discovered earlier, but made public by Harry Potter). One of the more curious mysteries is the Forbidden Forest. It has been off-limits to students (although not a very well-kept policy) for generations. But how did it start, and why do many exotic and dangerous creatures reside there? This is because of a tale very, very long ago. Some say it is a myth, but this is the only explanation we have heard so far of the origins of the Forbidden Forest._

_Long ago, a dark wizard wanted to take over the world, claiming everything for his own and everyone for his slaves. He had an army of exotic animals, who obeyed his every whim, but people could never find out how or why. He had entered Hogwarts grounds, meaning to take the school for his headquarters, where he and his supporters could use it as a base for operation. But, like with every great story, a hero came along. He had heard of his plans, and duelled the dark wizard, who was a master of magic. Eventually, the duel ended with the dark wizard being defeated, but the hero had lost his life in the process. From where he had died, magical trees and flowers formed as remembrance to his memory. The curse on the animals had been broken, and they resided in the newly-formed forest, determined not to let this happen again. They are often thought of as the guardians, as they live to protect Hogwarts and attack the invaders that try to enter through the Forbidden Forest. _

_Today, people suspect the reason for the animals obeying the dark wizard was a magical object called the Potestum. There have been rumours that the wizard used this object to control the creatures and force them to do as directed. People say it was created by Merlin himself, although there is no evidence. They claim it looks like a small rectangle with a thin line coming out of it; made completely of silver. As soon as one utters the word "Nutus" (Latin word for command), a ball of light will be issued from it, keeping the target completely under the user's control. It has been compared to the Imperius curse, but this is a misconception. The Imperius curse is a spell, used upon a person to get them to do what the caster wants. However, one can always fight it off, and even if they do not, a voice in their brain always lets the person think about whatever they want to. Meanwhile, the Potestum has no way of being fought off, and the person is not free to think as they wish. This means they lose their brain to the user; all that will be on their mind is the user's bidding, and nothing else. The victim would kill his own family member if asked to. The only way to end this would be for the user to be killed._

_Of course, these are all just rumours based on the myth. Even if not a myth, it is said that the only person who could find it is a hero of the purest soul, as heard of in the story. After the dark wizard's death, it was rumoured that the Potestum was lost deep in the forest, left for one worthy to find it. This was to stop any evil forces from rising once more. Presently, we have heard nothing of this, and this case has been left as a mystery to our world._

Silence. After reading the passage, Rose, Sapphire, and Scorpius just stared at Albus.

"So," Albus said. "Thanks, Rose! It turns out reading _is _a good idea!"

After their findings, the four friends took to discussing what it meant in their spare time.

"So that's why it's called the Potestum," Rose said. "It gives the user power over anyone or anything."

"Which is exactly why it's so dangerous," said Albus. "The man in my dreams is scary, and he'll do anything to get it. If he does, then we're done for!"

Sapphire looked thoughtful. "You said he thought that you had it, or knew where it was, right?"

Albus nodded, and she continued. "Well, maybe he thinks your dad is enough of a hero or something to have gotten it. That's why he checked all these different places. But when Hagrid found that cloak in the forest...he'd been searching there too. But obviously, he wasn't a hero, so he couldn't have found it. That's why he went back to checking the other locations. Without a hero, he can't get it." She concluded.

"Alright...so, what's he going to do now?" asked Scorpius.

Albus sighed. "I don't know. He's obviously checked everywhere, and hasn't found it. He must've come to the same conclusion we have now: it's still in the Forbidden Forest. Since he and his men aren't heroes, they obviously won't be able to find it. He'll need to get a hero like the one in the story."

"So, who's the hero?" asked Scorpius.

"If we knew, do you think we'd still be standing here?" snapped Rose.

"Well maybe, considering Al refuses to tell anyone!"

Rose immediately turned to Albus. "Hey Al, if we knew who the hero was, would you tell your dad?"

Albus hesitated for a second. Rose's jaw dropped. "Al, you know we can't go running off ourselves!" she said angrily.

"You don't know what it's like!" Albus said. This outburst stunned everyone into silence.

"You don't know what it's like!" He repeated. "What it's like to be the outcast, the shadow of the family!"

Rose began to speak. "Al, you're not the outcast – "

Albus cut her off. "Yes, I am! People expect me to me just like dad! As mischievous, as brave, as powerful...but I'm not! Let me just prove that I can be for once! That I can be like James, the hero. The favourite son. I'm not going to let him shut me out any longer; I will prove myself a part of this family!"

"But you are a part of this family." Rose said softly.

"No, I'm not! Everyone inherited something from their parents. Fred's mischievous, Victoire is pretty, and you're brilliant! James is popular, brave, and a Seeker, while Lily's cute and sneaky. I'm just the loser middle child that dad's disappointed in."

"I think he'd be more disappointed if you didn't tell him."

Albus looked at her for a moment, mulling it over, and then he sighed. He knew she was right. Albus put his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright, we can tell my dad if we find out who the hero is."

"And...?" Sapphire chimed in timidly, still surprised from his outburst.

Albus sighed. "And I'll tell him everything we know about the Potestum, the break-ins, and our suspicions."

Rose smiled. "Good. Now all we have to do is wait."


	14. Chapter 14: The Dark Guardians

**Thank you so much to my new followers, and those who reviewed me! Feel free to recommend this to anyone, and review as much as possible! :) Apparently, you all like my story for some unfathomable reason. :P I'm really grateful for that, so here's the next update. Last part at Scorpius' house, by the way. Again, thank you so much, and I hope you like it!**

**Chapter 14: The Dark Guardians**

The next week at Malfoy Manor went by quickly enough, with their conversations about the Potestum, Rose and Scorpius' constant bickering, and practicing Quidditch (well, while Sapphire watched). Albus was having a wonderful stay; whiling away his time by playing Quidditch or one of the many games he packed. All in all, Albus didn't know what his father was worried about. The Malfoys were treating him fine; even Mr. Malfoy had warmed up to them. He actually bothered to acknowledge them now. The only problem had occurred during the New Years' celebration, where Scorpius' grandparents had come to visit.

"Scorpius?" Mr. Malfoy called. "Get your friends down here; your mother has made the dinner for New Year's. Your grandparents are coming over, too, so wear something nice!"

Scorpius sighed and pulled out a nice shirt and pants, and instructed the others to wear something a little more formal as well. Albus wore a green shirt and black pants (many of his clothes were green, thanks to his eyes), while Sapphire wore an ocean-blue long top that matched her eyes with black tights. Rose wore almost the same thing, except with a violet top. Scorpius grinned as he saw her, knowing she hated anything girly.

"Don't you just look like a princess," he teased.

"Shut it; it's just for New Year's," she snapped.

"Sure it is," he said. "Well, you know what they say, every princess needs a prince!" he continued, linking his arm through hers.

Albus and Sapphire laughed while Rose tried to pull away. Eventually, she gave up, much to the satisfaction of Scorpius, who led her downstairs with her struggling and pouting. Finally, he let go quickly when they reached the dining hall, as his grandparents had already arrived. Rose rolled her eyes at his willingness to let go as soon as he saw his parents and grandparents. Everyone took a seat at the table; a silence ensuing that was even more awkward than when Albus had first arrived.

"So," said Draco, breaking the silence. "How's the business coming along, father?" he ventured. Albus knew Scorpius' grandparents worked at Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley, while his parents held jobs at the Ministry of Magic.

Lucius eyed Albus for a moment before answering. "Fine, Draco. Although it might have been better without all these _restrictions_."

Albus reddened. He also knew that his father had placed restrictions on the shops in Knockturn Alley, to prevent them from selling anything too dark. This was because of the incident with the Vanishing Cabinet he dealt with in his sixth year. Anyways, Lucius and Narcissa kept making little snide comments towards the Potter and Weasley family, which he and Rose tried to ignore. Rose, however, seemed as though she would like to make one of her famous comebacks, but she wouldn't out of politeness. Sapphire was trying to pretend she wasn't there, which seemed to be working, as they completely ignored her. Scorpius just looked embarrassed.

"Anyways, you're the Weasley girl, right?" Narcissa said, looking at Rose.

"It's Rose." Scorpius corrected automatically.

Narcissa forced a smile. "Yes, of course. Anyways, Weasley," she continued, uncaring towards Scorpius' correction. "I don't suppose your parents have told you stories from the war?"

Rose, a bit taken aback by this question, answered quietly. "Yes, they have. They've told me everything they did."

"Everything?" Lucius joined in. "Like when your grandmother killed Narcissa's sister?"

Rose gritted her teeth. "Yes, they have told me that."

"And you're alright with murder?" asked Narcissa in a voice faking incredulity. "I would've thought that your parents would've been against the idea completely!"

"They _are _against the idea; it's why they killed Voldemort!"

"Well, that's as much as we can expect," continued Lucius, as if he hadn't heard what Rose just said. "She is the daughter of a Mudblood and a blood traitor."

At this point, Rose's glass shattered. She had obviously had enough, and her anger had caused the cup to break. Draco excused himself, while it seemed Rose was on the verge of erupting.

"Blood traitor? You're one to talk! You betrayed everyone, then betrayed Voldemort, and now you're going back to his ideas about blood purity! Make up your mind!" she snarled.

Taken aback by her outburst, they simply glared at her. Rose glared back murderously. The feelings in the room were electric; it felt that with just one more comment a fight would be ignited. Luckily, Astoria butted in, determined to try to make the feeling positive. Note that she was making it positive, not positive again.

"So," Astoria said with a slight chuckle that sounded fake. "Would anyone like dessert?"

* * *

After Rose's outburst, things had calmed down. Scorpius' grandparents simply glared at Albus or Rose whenever they saw them, rather than make comments. Rose had apologized to Scorpius repeatedly for her behaviour, obviously feeling horrible that she was so rude to her friend's grandparents. Scorpius simply waved it off, knowing exactly how she was feeling. He admitted he was angry himself for the snide comments that they kept throwing in, and assured her that he would've done the same thing even though he wasn't being insulted.

Things returned back to normal around Scorpius' house after his grandparents had left. Scorpius even told them that his parents were relieved, and actually quite impressed with Rose. It had taken a lot to stand up to them; something that even Draco couldn't manage to do when he was their age, or even now. After this meeting, nothing especially out of the ordinary occurred until the day before they were ready to leave.

It was about 10:00 PM, and the four friends were getting ready for bed. The girls had just come over to Scorpius' room to say good night, when his Sneakoscope began whirling and spinning, alight with all colours. When it first happened, Sapphire was quite surprised. "What's that?" she asked.

Rose answered for him. "It's a Sneakoscope; I sent it to him for Christmas."

"Yes, it was a pleasant surprise, considering that I was expecting some sort of book." Scorpius said.

Rose rolled her eyes. Albus butted in before it could turn into another argument. "But why is it spinning? It's only supposed to when there's someone untrustworthy about."

"Maybe it just took it a while to realize that Scorpius was in the room." Rose said.

Scorpius opened his mouth, but this time Sapphire cut him off. "Let's check downstairs," she suggested. "Maybe someone came in, and we should warn your parents, Scorpius."

"No," he said. "My parents are downstairs; they would've seen someone. I guess company came over."

"Untrustworthy company," said Albus grimly. "I don't know if it would be okay, but..." he trailed off.

Scorpius smiled. "It's okay; let's go eavesdrop."

They crept towards the stairs, and remained hidden behind a wall. They could hear his father talking to someone.

"All I'm saying, Draco, is that you should be in the Dark Guardians. Your position could be crucial to our success."

"I don't give a damn about your success!" answered Draco angrily.

"I don't think you fully understand the vitality of this. We cannot come to your father; who has grown older and will not be able to complete the task as well as you could."

"I understand full well what you want me to do, and I will not betray him!" snapped Draco.

"Draco, you never belonged with his kind. You belong with the Dark Guardians. Your family has managed to evade Azkaban for treasonous doings against Voldemort, so no one suspects you."

"If you think I'm going to – " started Draco angrily.

The man cut him off and continued. "In fact, I know you have a son, who we could use to our advantage. And all we need is for you to do this one thing, and you'll live in peace with your family forever."

Albus, Rose, and Sapphire turned to Scorpius as soon as the man mentioned Draco's son. Scorpius' brow was furrowed in confusion.

"I will not have my son corrupted!" yelled Draco, sounding angrier than Scorpius had ever heard him.

"We are doing this for the greater good! Your ancestors had the same idea, and you listened to them then! We just need you to act as a catalyst; nothing more, nothing less." The man exclaimed.

"I'm not my ancestors, and I've made a lot of mistakes for which I have apologized!"

The man shook his head. "You truly are a disgrace to the Malfoy name. No matter, we will find someone else willing to do the job. Someone on the inside." He said sinisterly.

"Not before I tell him," said Draco sharply.

The man simply smiled. "Ah, yes, I was hoping we didn't have to reach this little snag. See, I can't have you informing him of our little plan."

Draco simply stared at him. "And I can't just sit here and pretend I didn't hear a word you said if it causes danger." He snapped back.

The man smiled again. "Not to worry about that part. I can take care of it for you. _Obliviate!_"

Before Draco could react, the spell hit him in the head. Rose had to put her hand over Scorpius' mouth to keep him from gasping, screaming, or reacting in some way. If the man was alerted that Rose, Scorpius, Albus, and Sapphire were listening, they would most probably receive the same treatment as Mr. Malfoy; or worse. Luckily, Mrs. Malfoy walked in just then.

"Draco, dear, are you all right?" she asked, glancing at the man, who had stowed his wand away.

"Just fine," he answered. Then he frowned and turned back to the man. "I'm sorry, who are you and what are you doing in my house?"

The man smiled. "I'm sorry for disturbing you Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, I'm from the Ministry of Magic, and I was just doing a background check on its workers for security reasons. A few people have gone missing, and I've been sent to check up on others. It seems you are both doing fine, so I'll just be on my way."

Albus was surprised with the readiness of his lie. Of course, the man probably had to be prepared for every precaution possible.

"Oh, alright," said Astoria, visibly relaxed. "Well, yes, we're doing fine, and we've heard nothing of these missing people."

"Yes, it's being kept secret by the Ministry, but don't worry. We have it under control, and the Aurors are already on the trail of a possible suspect. Until then, it's probably best not to mention this to anyone. Just keep it under wraps. Panic would break out if more people heard of it."

Astoria nodded, and ushered the man out of the house. As she began to turn around, it seemed she was heading for the stairs. They all bolted up the staircase as quickly and quietly as they could, heading for their rooms. As soon as it seemed that Astoria had descended, the girls went over the boys' room to discuss what they just heard.

"So," started Sapphire. "What happened?"

"Obviously, this group, the Dark Guardians, as they call themselves, wanted to recruit Scorpius' dad, who declined." stated Rose.

"Yes, but who are the Dark Guardians?" asked Scorpius.

"They're probably the followers of the man I used to see in my dreams." Albus said.

"Used to see?" asked Sapphire, lifting an eyebrow.

Albus sighed. "The dreams have stopped now. I don't know if I should be relieved that they're gone, or afraid because of what might happen next."

"Well, we have to look to the future now," said Rose. "Mr. Malfoy kept saying he'd tell "him" of some plan...what do you think their plan is? And who's "him"?" she asked.

"Maybe "him" is the hero," Scorpius suggested. "And the Dark Guardians have a plan to get him to find the Potestum, and then kill him."

Sapphire looked up thoughtfully. "That could be the case...but does your dad know the hero, then? He said that it would be a betrayal if he didn't tell."

"Well, he could mean a betrayal to everyone by not telling the hero. If the hero dies with the Potestum in the Dark Guardians' clutches, then it could be considered Mr. Malfoy's fault for not doing anything about it." Albus said.

Rose looked at Albus carefully. "Well, he forgot that it happened, so it can't be his fault now. What's our excuse?" she asked quietly.

Albus stared at her, and realized that his words could be applied to them now. "Well, I meant it for Scorpius' dad because he heard their plan. But we don't know if "he" is the hero, we don't know who the hero is to inform anyone, and we don't know their plan to kidnap and kill him, if that is their plan." Albus said, trying to justify keeping this to themselves.

"But we know enough," said Rose. "We also know that 'someone on the inside' is apparently going to carry out this plan."

"Well, we can't make assumptions." Sapphire said, speaking up in Albus' defence, to which he was thankful.

"We can't just keep our mouths shut about it either," pointed out Scorpius, defending Rose.

Rose sighed. "I know I'm going to regret this, but fine. We'll tell once we've worked out the plan. This way, we'll know everything for sure, so we won't get our parents in trouble if it's a trap or if it turns out we're wrong and sent them for no reason. We can let them deal with the danger."

Albus smiled, and said. "Thanks."

Rose just nodded, and went back to thinking and pacing the room.

"Oh, and I guess we'll have to keep our guard up," said Sapphire suddenly.

Scorpius looked at her. "Other than the obvious reasons, why?" he asked.

"Well, he said he would get someone on the 'inside' to do it, right? And that Mr. Malfoy's position was a good one?"

Scorpius continued to stare at her, while Albus joined in. Only Rose seemed to understand, as she gave a soft "Oh!" and nodded in unison with Sapphire.

"Anyone care to inform us?" asked Albus.

Rose sighed. "You guys are hopeless. They also said that Scorpius could help with the plan, since he's Mr. Malfoy's son."

Scorpius looked over at her, then back at Sapphire. "Could you just spit it out, please?"

Sapphire looked over at Rose and rolled her eyes. _Boys, _she thought, and Rose sent her a return expression that looked exasperated. _I know, right? _Her look seemed to say.

Rose began. "Someone on the 'inside', a good position for Mr. Malfoy, and Scorpius. What do those things have in common?"

Sapphire continued, as Rose's question was rhetorical. "When we're at school, we're surrounded by protective enchantments that not all people can get _into. _Mr. Malfoy works with a part of the Ministry that deals with education, meaning schools. Scorpius, his son, goes to this school."

Seeing their blank expressions, Sapphire realized it was her turn to sigh. "It's obvious, isn't it?" she continued. "The hero is at Hogwarts."


	15. Chapter 15: Back to School

**Yes! I have uploaded a new chapter! *feels accomplished* :P Anyways, thanks again to my reviewers. Please review as much as you can; I enjoy guest reviews too! Thank you for the support I've been getting; I'm really glad to see that you all enjoy my story. Get ready for some twists and cliffhangers. :)**

**P.S - I was asked how long this will be. If everything goes according to my plan, there should be 22 chapters total. With more books soon to come...:)**

**Chapter 15: Back to School**

Albus managed to fit the last piece of clothing in his suitcase as he zipped it up and dragged it down the stairs, with Scorpius right behind him. Rose and Sapphire were already downstairs, waiting for the two boys to arrive so they could leave for King's Cross Station. They had seemingly already packed the night before, unlike Scorpius and Albus, who were completely surprised in the morning when they found out they had to leave at 10:00 AM. They had struggled for an hour, locating everything they needed and stuffing it in, as they had no time to fold it in nicely.

"All ready to leave, kids?" asked Mr. Malfoy.

"Yes," they all chorused. As Mr. Malfoy started the car, the kids loaded their things in the trunk, which was enlarged by magic. They squeezed into the backseat with difficulty, as it was only meant for three. Rose, who had moved in first, looked very uncomfortable, as Scorpius was sitting next to her. Because of the little space, she was practically sitting in his lap. Probably sensing her discomfort, Scorpius, of course, had to add to it, as he put his arm around her. Luckily, Mr. Malfoy noticed the lack of room, and charmed it so everyone would have a reasonable amount of room. Rose gratefully moved over a couple of seats, as did Albus and Sapphire. Scorpius moved too, but Albus thought he saw something on his face. Disappointment? Albus grinned, knowing he now had even more material to blackmail him with.

They started up a conversation about Quidditch, which even Mr. Malfoy joined in on. Mrs. Malfoy just smiled and listened to the conversation. From the way the kids spoke, it was clear that their hearts weren't completely into it. They badly wanted to discuss the Potestum and the story they read about, but obviously couldn't with Scorpius' parents in the car. Finally, they reached the station, and stepped out of the car.

The kids ran towards the platform, and waited for Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy to catch up. When they did, they took turns running through the wall to Platform 9 ¾, eventually all reaching the other side. There, Albus smiled and waved, for he saw his parents. Rose's parents were standing next to his. They ran over and hugged them, while their parents put the rest of Rose and Albus' luggage next to the bags they packed.

"Hey, Al!" his father said, beaming. "How was your stay?"

Before Albus could answer, James butted in. "Yeah, how'd you enjoy the snake house?"

"James Sirius Potter!" his mother said, as she began to reprimand him. "How could you be so insulting?"

By the end of her speech, James looked like he regretted saying anything. That was what happened when one got Ginny Weasley (or Ginny Potter, now) worked up.

"So anyways," Harry interrupted, after Ginny had finished her tirade. "How _was _your stay?"

Albus smiled. "It was great! We had so much fun," he said, gesturing to Scorpius, Rose, and Sapphire. "We played Quidditch, a whole bunch of other games, and I even had fun reading at the Malfoy library!"

Harry's smile wavered when he reached the part about the Malfoy library. Of course, how could Albus have been so obvious? Albus attempted to cover it up by saying something else, but it was too late.

"The Malfoy library, huh?" Harry said. "What did you read? You know most of that stuff is dark magic."

Albus laughed nervously. "Oh, I didn't read about dark magic. I just read an interesting book called _Mysteries of the Wizarding World." _Albus mentally slapped himself for not having come up with a fake title for the book; his father was sure to know now. As he looked up, he was surprised to see that his father looked relieved. He had clearly not heard of the book.

"Okay, that's good. Just as long as you don't read about dark magic." He said sternly.

Albus nodded, and he smiled. "Well, I brought your things. Just say goodbye to your mother and sister, and we'll be off!"

Albus hugged his mother, and even his sister who had been pestering him for a full week of his vacation.

Lily asked her mother for about the billionth time. "Mom, why can't I go to Hogwarts yet? I'm smart enough!"

"I know you are Lily, but you have to be 11 years old!" his mother tried to console her.

"I want to go _now_!" she said, pouting.

"Hugo wants to go too, but he's not complaining!" Ginny argued.

Albus smiled and stepped onto the train, still hearing the bickering between Lily and his mum. He waved to them, and then looked through the train for the compartment with Rose, Scorpius, and Sapphire. Eventually, he found them all the way at the back. Rose and Scorpius were in the midst of another argument, while Sapphire was watching with a bored expression on her face. She and Albus had gotten quite used to this, so it didn't entertain now as much as it annoyed them. She smiled when Albus came in, obviously grateful for company that she could actually talk to.

"Hey, Albus!" she said. "There you are! I've been waiting for someone I can actually hold up a conversation with."

"I'd hold up a conversation if he wasn't there to ruin it," said Rose to Sapphire, nodding her head in Scorpius' direction when she said "he".

"Me? You're the one always making comments!" Scorpius exclaimed.

Rose's jaw dropped. "Do you honestly think I start these fights? You just have to make a comment, and I refuse to just let it slip by, so I retaliate!"

"Is that how everything works in your world? You blame someone else when it's clearly your fault?"

"No, I blame you, because you always start it!" she exclaimed.

Albus interrupted before it could go any further. "You're honestly fighting over your fighting? It's official; you guys have hit rock bottom." He declared.

Sapphire giggled, while Rose rolled her eyes and Scorpius scowled.

"Anyways," he continued. "Onto more important matters. Who do you think the hero is?"

Rose sighed. "Albus, we've gone over this. We don't know who the hero is," she stopped for a second while Sapphire and Scorpius nodded in agreement. "And we really think you should stop obsessing over it." She added a bit more hesitantly.

"I'm not obsessing over it; I just think it could be really helpful if we find out who it is!" Albus insisted, although he was denying it weakly.

"Al, you know we're thinking about it, but it could be anyone." Sapphire said exasperatedly.

"The best we can do now is just wait for a sign. Lay low for a while. Our lives don't have to be action-packed every second of every day." Scorpius added.

Albus sighed. "Fine," he grumbled.

"Al, if we knew, we'd tell you! But we don't, so we have to wait. Be patient." said Rose, still sensing his upset feelings.

"Okay, okay. You're right. Let's just wait." Albus said, although his heart wasn't into it. He knew their words were true, but it felt upsetting that he couldn't do anything. Waiting for an attack just made him feel more uneasy; more vulnerable.

* * *

Eventually, they reached Hogwarts. Everything was surprisingly normal for a while. Unfortunately, "normal" also meant more homework, more Quidditch practices (now that February was nearing) and more attacks from Goyle and his friends. Albus found it painfully ironic that when he needed something out of the ordinary to happen, it didn't. Where were these Dark Guardians when you needed them? Just one little clue could lead up to a big discovery.

These were the thoughts in Albus' head as he attempted to light the tip of his wand in Charms class. "_Lumos!" _He muttered, but nothing happened. Of course, Rose had already gotten it, earning her ten points for Gryffindor. She gave Albus and Scorpius (mostly Scorpius, though) a smug smile, probably because he had been making fun of her earlier. As they exited, they headed to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom on the fourth floor.

"Alright, class!" Harry said. "Today, we will be learning a new spell, since I made you review all the old ones before Christmas. I just didn't want you to forget them." He explained. "Anyways, today, we will be learning the Body-Binding spell. The incantation, please?" he asked.

Rose raised her hand, as always. "Petrificus Totalus!" she said.

Harry beamed. "Exactly, Rose! Now, to perform this spell, you need to move your wand like this." Harry said, moving his wand in a straight line. "So, please get into pairs, or a group of three, since we have an odd number."

The students moved around the class, trying to find a spot to practice. Rose and Sapphire paired up, while Albus paired up with Scorpius. They heard cries of "_Petrificus Totalus_" all over the room. Albus tried, but he couldn't seem to get it right. Only Scorpius' legs would snap together, while his arms remained free. Needless to say, Rose got it on about her third try.

"_Petrificus Totalus!_" she cried, as Sapphire's limbs snapped together and she fell. She smiled proudly when she did it, and Harry came over to congratulate her.

"Well done, Rose! Since it seems you've mastered the spell, maybe you could help other students with theirs?" he asked, his last statement forming a question.

Rose smiled. "Sure!" She walked around the classroom, trying to help people with their spells. As she walked over to Albus and Scorpius, Albus noticed that Scorpius was trying especially hard to get the spell right in front of her.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!" He yelled; but only one of Albus' arms and one of his legs went stiff. He was clearly disappointed.

"It's how you're moving your wand," Rose said kindly. "It's more of a diagonal slash, rather than vertical." She leaned over and adjusted his arm, her hand on his. Scorpius blushed, and Sapphire and Albus snickered at this.

"Now say it while I move the wand," instructed Rose, unbeknownst to her why Sapphire and Albus were laughing.

"_Petrificus Totalus!_" he said, and all of Albus' limbs snapped together when Rose slashed it. "Thanks," Scorpius muttered, a pinkish tinge still on his cheeks. Sapphire continued to snicker, and Rose frowned and looked at her.

"What's so funny?" she asked, completely oblivious to Scorpius' blushing.

"Nothing, nothing," Sapphire said, although she was still trying to stifle her giggles.

Rose frowned, but moved along. By this time, Harry had performed a spell that allowed Albus to regain feeling in his limbs again. Albus continued to laugh, as though nothing had happened. "Should we try it again, Scorpius?" he teased. "Need Rose to come over?"

Scorpius reddened, and simply mumbled. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Sapphire snorted, but they let it go, and continued to practice like nothing happened. Soon, the bell rang signaling the end of class, and everyone exited the room.

* * *

All four of them headed to the greenhouses for Herbology. As they entered, they noticed a cactus-like plant sitting on Neville's desk. "_Mimbulus Mimbletonia_" he declared simply. "This is an extremely rare plant only found in certain countries. The thing most notable about this is its amazing defence mechanism. When prodded, Stinksap emerges from its boils. However, contrary to popular belief, it is not poisonous, and can be removed quite easily."

"Now, for homework," Neville started, while the class groaned. "I want you to –" The class never got to find out what it was that Neville wanted them to do, because at that moment, the door burst open. A wizard in dark robes came in. Neville immediately cast a protective enchantment over the kids, and stepped forward to deal with the visitor.

"Who are you? Get out of here this instant," Neville snarled.

The wizard looked at him, and then chuckled. As if on cue, they automatically started shooting spells at each other; locked in duel. Most of the students gasped in awe, but Albus, Rose, Scorpius, and Sapphire tried to step out and remove the mask, or incapacitate him, or do something that would give them some answers. However, Neville's protective enchantment prevented them from getting out. They were forced to just watch and do nothing, as Neville attempted to incapacitate the wizard. Neville blasted the wizard back with a spell, and then quickly formed a Patronus charm. "Come to Greenhouse 1!" he yelled to his Patronus, which was a dog. It bounced away, the students unknowing to who he had sent it to.

They shot nonverbal spells at each other throughout most of it; Neville's spells were less dangerous, while nearly every one of the cloaked figure's spells seemed lethal. However, Neville blocked them with relative ease. Only when the wizard sent the Killing Curse was Neville caught off guard. He ducked, and momentarily vulnerable, the figure blasted him back. At this point, Neville slammed into his desk, where his _Mimbulus Mimbletonia _splattered Stinksap all over him. The figure took this moment to finish him off.

"_Avada Ked – " _The wizard was cut off, and the wand flew out of his hand with a cry of "_Expelliarmus!"_.

Hagrid stepped in. "_Incarceous!_" he cried, but the wizard dodged, and picked up his wand again. Of course, that was who Neville called. Hagrid's giant blood made it hard for him to be incapacitated easily, and his hut was right next to the greenhouses. With a slashing movement, the wizard undid the protective barrier on the students, and grabbed Rose. Scorpius tried to tackle him so he would let go of Rose, but he was blasted back with a flick of his wand. Realizing physical damage would do nothing, he raised his wand. The wizard simply laughed.

"Try anything, and she gets it." He threatened, in a voice that sounded oddly familiar. However, Albus knew there were charms to change your voice, and could therefore not place it. Scorpius immediately dropped his wand, as did Hagrid with his umbrella. Albus, however, crept into the crowd of students right behind him.

The wizard laughed again. "I knew it. Knew you were weak. Sacrificing your life for this little girl here. She's not even your own. Just because she's related to those fools, Granger and Weasley. I'll make it easy on you. Give us the boy, and you can have her." At this point, the wizard cried "No!" for some reason. He or she appeared to be struggling to bring the wand off of Rose.

Hagrid, who had been glaring at him, looked unnerved for a moment. "What are yeh talking about? And what's going on?" he asked, clearly confused. Albus couldn't blame him. He was extremely confused too. Why was the wizard acting this way, and what did he/she mean?

Before the man could answer, Albus shook himself out of his thoughts and knew it was his turn to strike. "_Expelliarmus!" _He cried, the wizard's wand flying in the air once more and knocking him off his feet. Hagrid seized this opportunity to pick up his umbrella again, and he ran over to make sure Rose was okay. While Hagrid, Scorpius, and Sapphire were fussing over Rose, she answered in a frustrated manner.

"I'm fine! Bloody spectacular! But while you were paying attention to me, look who managed to escape!" Rose exclaimed.

They all turned. The wizard had indeed escaped from the greenhouse, obviously realizing that he should take the opportunity whilst they were not paying attention, and before Hagrid could capture him. Once Hagrid had his umbrella and Rose was free, it was quite clear that Hagrid would be able to incapacitate him before long. Actually, Hagrid could have taken him without magic, because he was so big. And so, he left before he would get the worst of it.

Albus gritted his teeth. He was happy that Rose was okay, but they were so close to finding out the face behind that mask. Albus was almost positive it was Bulstrode, but that was his chance at proving it. He knew it seemed like a man, but there were obviously charms to change your voice. His father had told him that himself. And the voice was familiar to Albus in some way, although he couldn't place it. Who else could fit the description?


	16. Chapter 16: Spring Fever

**Thanks again for the reviews. Wow, I say this like every chapter. :P But it's true. Thank you for the reviews I've been receiving about how great my story is! They really mean a lot. :) Also, thanks for the constructive criticism. I've fixed a bit of it in this chapter. One of the reviews said that Harry should be doing something about it. Well, there's a reason he hasn't been doing so much, but you're right. Harry takes charge a bit more here. He also gets a bit more protective of Albus. :P**

**Also, Jadewish: (yes, you get a shout out) thank you so much! I've read most other fanfictions, but I thought they were better than mine. Well, I've been trying really hard with this. When I read other fanfics, I almost always wanted something else to happen. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands. :) I've thought about becoming an author, but you know, I'm only 13. Long way to go. :) Thanks again!**

**Actually, thanks to all reviewers. Your comments really help and make me feel better, even if it's criticism. Anyways, enough with this super-long author's note that you're probably not reading. On with the story! :D**

**Chapter 16: Spring Fever**

After the dark wizard had broken into the greenhouse, "precautionary measures" were taken up by Headmistress McGonagall. This meant professors patrolled the corridors on shifts, and that students had to return to their dormitories at 6:00 every evening. If there was ever a case where they absolutely needed to leave, a teacher or at least 2 other students had to accompany them. For first years, however, this was completely out of the question. They had to be accompanied by a teacher at all times, because they apparently weren't skilled enough to step out with two friends. This meant a lot of boring nights for Albus. The only exception to stepping out after 6:00 PM was for Quidditch practice, which meant that Albus gladly went down to the pitch with Professor Longbottom (it still felt weird saying that for Albus) to do something for once.

"There you are, Albus!" said Kirke, the Gryffindor Quidditch captain. "Okay, now that everyone's here, let's start practice. Since our game is next week, we're going to be at the pitch A LOT this week. This means we're going to train dusk till dawn every evening that the Ravenclaws haven't! We may have just gotten lucky against the Hufflepuffs in that first game, so we're going to keep at this until we're perfect!" he exclaimed.

The team nodded, and they played a practice game. Kirke kept them until about 9:30 PM, and even then, Neville had to intervene, as he had to do his shifts. Albus trudged up to his dorm, exhausted from the practice. Neville accompanied the team on the way there, obviously, as they needed "supervision". This actually turned out to be a good thing, since they were attacked on their way up. Lucky Neville was here to protect them.

The dark figure stepped out of the bushes by the castle gates. Neville immediately cast a protective charm over the students and sent a Stunner his way. The figure dodged with ease, laughed, and held out his hand.

"Longbottom, I could fight you again and win with ease. I'm merely here to deliver a message this time. Give us one, or we will hurt all. Expect me another time." He said.

Neville paid no attention to his words, and kept sending nonverbal spells at him throughout the entire exchange. He yelled for help, as the wizard kept dodging. However, by the time help arrived, the figure in dark robes simply melted into the shadows, leaving no trace that he had ever been here.

* * *

The next morning, Defence Against the Dark Arts was cancelled. Harry was still Head Auror, which meant he had to investigate the series of attacks that the school had upon them. He had apparently called the best in the business, as there were about six people that Albus didn't recognize that morning when he came down for breakfast. From their looks, Albus would have never called them "best in business" as Harry had announced over breakfast. Well, maybe except for his Uncle Ron, who he knew was an excellent Auror.

"Now, I know these attacks are unnerving," Harry had said. "But I've brought my best Aurors to investigate the case. You have no reason to worry; we will be patrolling the grounds at all times. There will be no Defence Against the Dark Arts classes this week." Harry stopped due to a series of groans. "I assure you, they will resume soon, once this threat has been resolved. Until then, please follow the rules about curfew and wandering in groups that your Headmistress had set."

Albus felt a bit more relieved after hearing this. Although he wanted to figure this out, it was clear this figure was extremely dangerous. Even Neville couldn't beat him, and Neville was an extremely gifted duellist. Albus shivered. What if the figure was the man he used to see in his dreams? That would be extremely scary, as Albus had not forgotten about his threat; _you will experience true pain, which is much, much worse than you feel now_. Well, he felt pretty bad right now, but clearly he could feel worse.

Harry and his Aurors exited the professors' table, and made their way outside. On the way, they stopped at the Gryffindor table (well, Harry and Ron did. He urged the other Aurors to keep moving). Albus sighed, expecting another speech about safety issues and how he should stay inside. Sometimes, Harry could be too protective. As Harry came over and began his "speech", Albus realized he was right.

"Albus, I think it's best if you stay inside or with a professor at all times." Harry started.

Albus rolled his eyes. "Dad, I'm already doing that. Why doesn't James get the same warning?"

Harry fidgeted. "James is a second-year." He said quickly. "He at least has more experience. Besides, he has to stay in groups of threes anyway. Anyways, it might be safer for you to travel with an Auror."

"Oh, by the way, same goes for you, Rosie." Ron added.

Rose looked more embarrassed about the use of her hated nickname than the fact that she had to be guarded closely as well. Probably because Scorpius was sitting next to her, grinning. There was obviously going to be another argument about nicknames. Albus, however, was horrified.

"You mean someone's going to follow me around? Dad, I'm fine with a professor! I'll get made fun of if I have my own personal bodyguard!" Albus argued. Rose nodded in agreement; not wanting this to apply to her as well.

Harry sighed and rubbed his forehead. He knew better than anyone what it was like to be made fun of, and knew he didn't want Albus to suffer the same thing. However, the consequences would be dire if anything were to happen. Finally, Harry made a decision.

"Okay, tell you what. You can be accompanied by a professor as usual, but when you're outside, an Auror will follow you discreetly." Harry offered.

Albus sighed. "Dad, that means I get no privacy except when I'm in the common room."

"Well, it's not like you're going outside to do something in private!" Harry exclaimed.

Albus huffed. "Fine." He grumbled. "As long as he or she doesn't talk to me."

Harry smiled, but recognized the look of upset on Albus' face. "Albus, this is for your protection. I just don't want anything happening to you."

Albus sighed. "Whatever." He said.

Harry frowned, but seemed satisfied enough, as he walked up to one of the Aurors and seemed to be asking him to keep an eye on Albus. The Auror was an average looking man; about six feet tall, but he had a deep scar under his right eye. His name was Aidan Secretum, as his dad introduced them. He simply grunted and shook Albus' hand, then went back to the other Aurors.

"Well that was a nice greeting," commented Sapphire.

Albus watched as the Aurors headed to the outside grounds. Two entered the Forbidden Forest, while two stepped near the Whomping Willow. Two went near the Quidditch pitch, and Harry and Ron left for the entrance gates. Wondering if they would find anything, Albus absentmindedly turned back to his breakfast. Since they had a free period now that DADA was cancelled, he could take as much time as he needed. Albus simply chatted with Rose, Scorpius, and Sapphire about the Potestum and the attacks. It seemed this was the sole subject that everyone talked about, actually; Albus heard people talking about everywhere he went.

Albus thought the attacks weren't very consistent. The first one had been in Herbology with the first years, while the second one was with the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Of course, if you counted the break-ins, then everything started at the beginning of the year, with about month-long intervals in between. Throughout the year, Albus noticed that Harry looked more and more tired. Although he couldn't really blame him, since Harry was Head Auror as well as a professor. Harry had been taking trips to the Ministry and sending Aurors to check the grounds since the first break-in, but to no avail. Eventually, he decided that he would need a while to concentrate on this, Albus assumed, as he had never cancelled classes before.

Albus shared these thoughts as they headed to Potions. If Harry couldn't find the culprit this week, then DADA might be cancelled until next year, or until a replacement was found. Of course, the attacks were much more important to deal with, as it was an issue about safety of the students.

"Good morning, Slytherins and Gryffindorks!" said Professor Bulstrode. The Slytherins sniggered while the Gryffindors seethed. They all knew she was biased, but she had never put it out there so blatantly before.

"Anyways," she continued, as though nothing had happened. "Today, we will be making a Cooling Solution. This would come especially in handy for Gryffindors." The Slytherins laughed harder. Albus frowned; it seemed as though she was being especially vicious today.

"Instructions are on the board. You may begin now." She stated. Albus looked at the clock, seeing that they had an hour left to make the potion. Albus smiled; knowing he could finish this in his sleep. He quickly made the potion in about a half hour, and watched the others struggle. Rose completed a satisfactory potion, but it wasn't perfect. Likewise for Scorpius and Sapphire, although theirs was slightly worse than Rose's.

"Time's up!" she called, even though there were 10 minutes left. Frowning, the Gryffindors looked around the classroom, and their answer was confirmed. All the Slytherins had finished, and seeing no point in wasting a good opportunity to annoy the Gryffindors, she had to end the time limit sooner, seeing that many Gryffindors still hadn't finished. Before anyone could even protest, she summoned all their potions to the front of the room, taking great pleasure in seeing the incomplete potions by the Gryffindors. Of course, Albus had completed with perfection, and she frowned, glaring at him. Nevertheless, she continued to teach the lesson.

"Now, the Cooling Solution is made to lower one's body temperature if it gets too high. This is especially used in the summer when we sweat a lot more than usual. One way to test if a Cooling Solution works is to splash water on some part of our body, and drink the potion. If made properly, the water will evaporate, as it would be considered the same as sweat." She finished talking about the potion, and pulled a vial with a yellow liquid out from her desk. "This is a properly made Cooling Solution. Would anyone like to try the test?"

Sapphire raised her hand. She loved to try out new things. Meanwhile, everyone else kept their hands down. They didn't want to try some weird-looking liquid. Professor Bulstrode, seeing that no one else wanted to try it, sighed and beckoned Sapphire to the front. Albus frowned. For some reason, she had looked at him when surveying the classroom for a volunteer. Sapphire grinned and ran up to Bulstrode's desk. She quickly splashed some water on her hand from the classroom sink, and raised the vial to her mouth. As she did so, Albus frowned. Green bubbles were forming in it instead of blue ones.

His eyes widened and he shouted "No! Don't drink it!" But it was too late. She had already swallowed a sip. Frowning, she turned around to look at Albus, but suddenly, sweat started pouring out of her body, and her skin turned red. Albus, Rose, Scorpius, and the rest of the class gasped as she suddenly fell over and promptly fainted.

* * *

"It was Bulstrode. I know it was." declared Albus as he, Rose, and Scorpius sat by a bed in the Hospital Wing.

"But Albus, even if it was her, what would that accomplish?" Rose asked logically.

"I don't know! The point is, she wanted me to drink it, but decided Sapphire would suffice. She looked at me before picking her!" Albus exclaimed.

Scorpius sighed. "Well, she kind of looked at everyone. It's called surveying the room."

Albus let out a noise of frustration. "No, there was this weird look on her face! I think she wanted me to come up and drink it, so it would be me that fainted and not her!"

"Okay, but for what?" Sapphire piped in, still red-skinned and sweaty but conscious. "Just to see you suffer? How does this help the whole Potestum thing at all?"

"It just does! She must have had a reason for doing it!"

"Do we even know that she brewed the potion? She could have just handed it to her without realizing what it was. She wasn't even looking at it closely enough to see the bubbles." Rose exclaimed.

"So what? Have we been suspecting her for no reason then? Just admit it's kind of suspicious. This kind of thing rarely happens."

"Exactly!" Scorpius piped up. "It rarely happens. It could just be a coincidence. We suspect her, Al, but maybe this has nothing to do with the Dark Guardians."

Sapphire and Rose nodded in agreement. Albus sighed. "Fine!" he grumbled. "But it still seems suspicious to me. I'm keeping it on the list of weird events that happened this year."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Hope you get better soon, Sapphire! I've got a load of homework to do." Sapphire groaned.

"But it's so boring here!" she complained.

"Well, you could do your homework!" Rose suggested.

Sapphire just stared at her for a second before replying. "But it's so boring here!" she repeated, looking at Albus and Scorpius.

They laughed and Rose scowled. "I don't see what you're laughing about, really," she said. "You're going to have to do it later, and I never let anyone copy my work."

They stopped laughing immediately, and looked at Rose, horrified. "But Rose!" Scorpius said. "I have a paper for History of Magic due tomorrow!"

Rose smiled. "Well, good luck! I've already finished it." She said smugly. She skipped out of the room, with Scorpius behind her, begging her for help. Albus smiled and said one last goodbye to Sapphire. He hoped she got better soon. He left the Hospital Wing, trailing behind Scorpius and Rose. Professor Longbottom escorted them back to the Gryffindor common room, then left again to do his rounds. Albus joined Scorpius in finishing the essay (which he was sure was not close to satisfactory) and headed to bed. As he slowly fell asleep, he found himself thinking about how the Potions mishap could be related to the Dark Guardians.

* * *

The next day, all of Albus' worries about the Dark Guardians, the Potestum, homework, and Sapphire flew out the window. Today was the anticipated Quidditch match: Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw. He could wait until later to be anxious. Although the biggest rivalry had always been between Gryffindor and Slytherin (and it still was), Ravenclaw was an extremely good team. As his honorary aunt Luna told them, "Wit beyond measure is a man's greatest treasure." Well, she really sang it, but the message was the same. Ravenclaws had strategy, which made them a difficult team to beat.

Albus headed to the pitch along with the rest of the team. He was extremely nervous not only because of the game, but if something bad would happen again. He still hadn't forgotten when someone (Bulstrode, he still assumed) had Confunded his broom. If he fell, he could have died! He shook his head, forgetting about all of that. Right now, the game was his main focus. Besides, with his dad and the other "best Aurors in the business", what could go wrong?

Albus stepped onto the pitch, which had erupted into cheers upon seeing the Gryffindor team. Frowning into the audience, he realized that he could not see his father. He could, however, see Aidan Secretum, the Auror that was babysitting him. Well, that's how Albus put it. It felt more like that than guarding him. Albus sighed, realizing that he was probably on Auror business. He knew it was important, but he had been to every one of James' matches last year. Albus felt a surge of jealousy come through him, but slapped it out of himself and forced a smile as his team was introduced. Soon, it became a real one when he was up in the air with the Quaffle in his hands.

"And it's Potter with the Quaffle! He sails through the air to the goals, but OH! A BLUDGER FROM ADAMS IS HEADING HIS WAY!" the commentator yelled. Albus, however, had seen the Bludger already, and was planning to use it to his advantage. A Ravenclaw Chaser who he had forgotten the name of was in the process of trying to steal the Quaffle. He quickly performed a Sloth Grip Roll, where he rolled under his broom and back over. The Bludger hit the Chaser, and Albus had a clear path to the goals. "AMAZING STRATEGY BY ALBUS POTTER!" the commentator yelled. "He shoots...he scores!" The crowd erupted into applause.

The rest of the game went much like that. Albus scored 5 goals out of the 8 that followed. Ravenclaw wasn't doing nearly as well. The score was 90-60, Gryffindor. They were in the lead by 30 points. Suddenly, James shot towards the goal hoops like a bullet. "And Potter has seen the Snitch!" the commentator shouted. This alerted the other Seeker, who was soon neck-and-neck with James, who was heading towards the Gryffindor goal hoops. Suddenly, James pulled into a dive, while the other Seeker crashed into the goal hoops. By the time he got back on, however, James had long since caught the Snitch. "AN AMAZING GAME!" bellowed the commentator. "The final score is 240-60, Gryffindor, who is now in the lead for the Quidditch Cup. Looks like it'll be between Slytherin and Gryffindor next time!"

The team cheered loudly once on the pitch, and quickly formed a huge group hug. When they pulled away, Albus noticed Scorpius and Rose heading towards him, smiling.

"Great game, Al!" said Rose.

"I think it could have been better," said Scorpius. "You could've scored another goal when Scott was focused on Lawton, and he passed to you quickly." At this, Rose smacked him at the back of his head. "Oww!" he yelled. "Still a great game though, Al!" he corrected.

Albus smiled. "I know! I can't wait to tell Sapphire!"

Rose and Scorpius shared a knowing look.

"What?" Albus asked.

They laughed. "Oh, nothing." said Scorpius.

At this point, James walked up. "Good first pass, Al!" he congratulated. "And hey, where's your other friend?"

"Sapphire's in the Hospital Wing. She had a fever because of a potion she drank." Rose explained.

"I guess you could say she has spring fever!" James said, as he laughed at his own joke.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Anyways, we wanted to visit her now so we could tell her about the game."

"I'm afraid that's not possible," said a voice from behind them. As they turned around, they realized it was Neville.

"Why not?" asked Scorpius curiously. "You could escort us there, so we're _safe_." He continued, putting a certain emphasis on "safe".

"It's not that," Neville sighed. "Sapphire is gone."


	17. Chapter 17: April Showers

**Thanks for the praise I have been receiving! Both for my story and me. :) Yes, I am only 13; thanks for thinking I'm older, I guess, since it would be implied in my writing. I know my writing could probably be better, but you know. I'm trying. :P You're probably surprised that I'm not dead. xD I would've totally PMed you guys for the reviews or something, but there's this thing called school that is highly annoying. Homework is upon me yet again. :P But I have managed to finish this chapter, so enjoy for now! It may take a few days for the next chapter again, but you're going to have to deal with it. Keep reviewing, and thanks for reading! **

**P.S. - I know a lot of you are upset over Sapphire's disappearance. She's one of my favourite characters too. :( I'm sorry to say, this chapter will probably do nothing to appease you. Yes, I'm very cruel. xD But everything will fall into place in due time...**

**Chapter 17: April Showers**

"What do you mean Sapphire is gone?" Albus demanded for about the fifth time that day.

Neville sighed. "Albus, I've told you all I know. When we checked the Hospital Wing, all we found was Sapphire's empty bed and an Obliviated Madam Pomfrey. Even after we broke the Memory Charm, all she could remember was coming in to give Sapphire her medicine and seeing a flash of dark robes out the window. When she looked out the window, wand aimed, it was too late. The figure vanished without a trace."

Albus still felt dissatisfied. He felt like his insides were shrivelling up. _Sapphire can't be gone, _he thought. _She's still in the common room, telling a joke, or at the library complaining about work_. But even Albus had to admit it was true. There was no sign of her anywhere in the castle; it was like she simply disappeared. But Albus knew better. She had to still be on Hogwarts grounds. For one thing, the figure had been on Hogwarts grounds since the beginning of the year. For another, his dad and the other Aurors had secured the grounds so that no one could get out. _Or so no one could leave_, thought Albus.

Albus spent the remainder of the week searching the grounds. Well, as much as he could. He was still under that rule where he had to be accompanied by a professor and tailed by an Auror, as was everyone. Well, without the part about the Auror. Albus still couldn't understand why he was the only one who was under this rule. If Harry just wanted Albus to be safe, why wasn't James being tailed as well? Surely second-years still weren't very experienced, even if they were a year older. Harry's rule was really getting to Albus, since he couldn't search in peace. He would've without a doubt plunged into the Forbidden Forest if it weren't for all this "protection" he was receiving.

The Forbidden Forest was really the only location left for the figure to hide. Albus honestly couldn't figure out what was taking the Aurors so long. Why not just go in and find the culprit? He knew the Forbidden Forest was big, but how big could it really be? Albus had half a mind to run in himself, but he knew that he would probably be grievously injured from the creatures, grievously injured from his parents' reaction, and in huge trouble for completely disrespecting school rules.

Even Rose and Scorpius were affected deeply by it. He knew because they no longer bickered with each other, and _that _was saying something. Well, of course they were affected. One of their best friends was missing, and they were finding it extremely hard to sit around and do schoolwork. Rose wasn't even working as assiduously as usual; a fact which both Albus and Scorpius found highly implausible. But Rose was much too upset to be hurt by Scorpius' teasing; her best friend was missing.

"Hey, Rose, I think you got number 12 wrong." Scorpius said quietly.

Rose sighed and checked, not bothering to respond as she usually would. "No, it's right." She said without any emotion.

"Oh," said Scorpius simply. "Guess I saw it wrong."

Albus sighed, and looked out the window watching the April rain, each drop splattering against the window. It reminded him of the time in November, when he felt it was foreshadowing the events yet to come. Could he have been correct? No doubt Sapphire's disappearance was especially grim. Speaking of which, Albus wondered if this is what the man with red eyes meant by "unbearable pain". One of his best friends missing, with a dark wizard to accompany her? Pretty painful to him.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I spilled some ink on your parchment." said Scorpius.

Rose sighed. "It's alright. I'll just remove it with the evaporation spell. _Evaporiso_!"

Scorpius nodded. "Good. I didn't mean to do it, you know." He added afterwards, quickly.

Rose looked at him, and simply said "I know."

Albus stared at them. It was bad enough with Sapphire gone, but seeing no signs of life between his two remaining friends were worse. He hated to admit it, but he missed the bickering that used to take place so often between them. It really lightened his mood.

"No," Albus said. Rose and Scorpius just looked at him, confused. "No," he repeated. "I'm not going to sit here and watch us all mope over Sapphire. I'm sad she's gone too," he added quickly, after seeing Rose's expression, "but I don't think she would've wanted us to be like this. I also don't think we should just sit and watch."

Scorpius and Rose smiled, knowing they were on the brink of another Albus plan.

"We're going to help," continued Albus. "The Aurors have been searching all year and found nothing. What are the chances they're going to find Sapphire now? As much as I hate to admit it, none. But we know Sapphire. She wouldn't have gone down without a fight."

Rose cocked her head to the side and looked at Albus. "What are you trying to say, Al?"

Albus took a deep breath. "I think I'm going to start my Auror training a little early. We're going to look for clues, and we're going to find Sapphire with them. I'm sure there's something to work off of."

Scorpius piped up. "But Albus, the Aurors have been searching too, and they've found nothing. No signs of a struggle or anything. Sapphire's bed was messy with the covers taken off, as if she had just walked out. And they're trained professionals. How are we supposed to find anything?"

Albus smiled. "Because they've been searching in all the wrong places."

* * *

Albus explained on their way to the Hospital Wing. "There's no way she would have just walked out. Even if she did somehow, there's always some evidence. Now, the Aurors didn't bother to search the Hospital Wing because it was exactly as it was before. They only checked the window and the ground outside of it for pieces of fabric or something. Not that they would help anyway."

Rose nodded slowly, seeing where Albus was going with this. "Okay, so we check the Hospital Wing, on the slight chance that there _might _be something there. If there's nothing, then what?"

Albus smiled. "The Hogwarts grounds are huge."

"Exactly," said Scorpius nervously, carefully looking at Albus. "But doesn't that mean she could be anywhere?"

Albus' eye twitched, and he turned to Scorpius, who immediately looked at the floor, for Albus' expression was angry. "She's not hiding out somewhere in a corridor; she's in the Forbidden Forest!"

Rose looked at Scorpius, then piped up hesitantly. "How do we know, though?" she asked quietly.

Albus sighed. "I just do, okay? I have a feeling. And anyways, where else could they hide?"

"There are a lot of secret passages in Hogwarts," said Scorpius.

"And I know a few of them lead to Hogsmeade, so it's technically possible to escape." Rose added.

Albus groaned frustratingly. "Yes, but where do you think the Aurors have been going all year? They've been checking and sealing all the passages! And my dad told me that there was a charm on them anyway to prevent escape, because of his adventures at school."

"But does Uncle Harry know _all _of them?" asked Rose.

"Yes," Albus said, after he thought for a second. "He told me that once. I was asking him about Hogwarts when I was 10, and I was worried that someone would break in like they did for him. He said that he would know if anyone did since he knew every single one of the passages."

Scorpius frowned. "Okay...I wonder how he knows..." Scorpius trailed off thoughtfully.

"I think James mentioned something about a map," Rose said.

Now it was Albus' turn to frown. The map again. James had mentioned it at Christmas, and his dad knew about it too. What was this mysterious map? "Yeah, I know," said Albus. "He's mentioned it to me too, but I have no idea what he's talking about."

Rose sighed. "Oh, well. That's not important now. What's important now is Sapphire."

Albus shook his head out of his thoughts about the elusive map, and nodded in agreement. By this time, they had reached the Hospital Wing. However, Albus hadn't thought of a plan. Madam Pomfrey obviously wouldn't stand by without saying a word while he, Rose, and Scorpius tore the infirmary down, looking for clues. She would also tell his father, who would no doubt have a "talk" with him about how the Aurors were on it, and why Albus should stay out of it because he would be "unsafe". Clearly, Scorpius had suddenly arrived upon this thought too, as he looked nervous. Rose, however, looked confident. Albus found out why in a second.

As they entered, Madam Pomfrey frowned upon noticing them. "Can I help you? None of you look very sick," she added, after giving each of them a quick once-over.

"Well, um, w-we were just wondering...umm...how was your day?" Albus stuttered, unable to think on his feet. Meanwhile, Rose and Scorpius were staring at him in disbelief and horror. Of course, he would've had the same expression had someone said that instead of him. How was your day? What kind of idiot was he? Fortunately, Rose made up for his mistake.

"I'm sorry, we were just nervous about coming by because of the whole incident," said Rose calmly. Albus and Scorpius simply looked at her, confused as to what she was doing. They thought the whole point was to avoid the topic of Sapphire's disappearance.

Madam Pomfrey, however, bought the act. "I understand completely," she said sadly. "I know she was a dear friend of yours."

Rose simply nodded and a convincing tear fell out of her eye. Scorpius looked slightly alarmed at this. Albus did not, as he was quite used to it. Rose had the uncanny ability to create fake tears, which came in handy with their family. Albus couldn't count the amount of times she had used it against her cousins and brother; most often against James.

Rose continued as Albus was engulfed in his thoughts. "Anyways, I know it seems silly, but I left one of my books here when I was dropping off some homework for Sapphire. But I suppose I need it...and...and...it reminds me of...her!" At this point, Rose "broke into" sobs, while a Madam Pomfrey looked slightly taken aback, then wore an expression full of woe and empathy. She nodded sadly, beckoning them over to Sapphire's bed to search.

"I have to go brew a Strengthening Solution for another patient right now. You can look for your book here. I'll just go...and leave you alone for a few minutes..." Madam Pomfrey trailed off, as she began to walk away. Rose smiled sadly and continued to swipe at her face, "wiping tears", until Madam Pomfrey had left and she reverted to her regular attitude.

"Works every time," Rose said with a smirk. Scorpius looked surprised for a second, and then impressed.

"Nice act. I almost bought into it." Scorpius said.

"Oh, please, you believed me from the second tears started pouring out of my eyes!" Rose laughed.

Albus looked at her, feeling saddened for a second. Did no one else care that she was gone? Was he the only one who lamented for Sapphire? He knew it was an act, but was it _completely_? They were all best friends with her; they should be grieving her too!

Rose, as if reading his thoughts, sighed and explained. "Albus, of course I'm sad about Sapphire. She's my best friend! But like you said, I can't just spend my time crying about it! We can mourn her, or we can do something about it instead."

Scorpius nodded, showing that he agreed, and Albus smiled. He should have never doubted them. "Okay, now let's get down to business. Rose, you check her bed, and Scorpius and I will check the area around of it." They nodded, and began to search. After about ten minutes, Albus began to feel desperate. He was so sure there would be a clue. Now what were they supposed to do? Where else could they search?

Rose and Scorpius came to the same conclusion, as it appeared. They looked crushed; as this seemed like their last hope to find Sapphire. Scorpius sighed and sat down on the bed. Just then, the pressure from his weight seemed to cause something to slide out from underneath the mattress. It fell onto the ground, and appeared to be a note. Albus got excited. It was from Sapphire. He was sure of it. His face fell when he picked it up and it just seemed to be a bunch of scribbles.

Rose, however, looked at it oddly. Albus recognized the expression on her face as a mixture of curiosity, wonder, and dawning comprehension. He immediately got excited all over again, knowing Rose had probably just made an important discovery about the note.

"What is it?" he asked excitedly.

Rose smiled. "Patience," she said. "_Eximo Scribillare_!" she chanted, and the scribbles were suddenly removed. Albus gaped at her in wonder and relief. He should've known Rose would have a solution. "It's the incantation to remove markings that aren't supposed to be there," she explained. "It comes in handy if you spill or accidentally write something on parchment, although most people prefer the Evaporation spell. However, that removes the entire thing, and we obviously didn't want that."

Albus nodded impatiently. He didn't need an explanation on spells; he just wanted to figure this whole thing out.

Scorpius looked at the paper, and then at Rose suspiciously. "Don't you think that was all a little too convenient? Too easy? We found the note, and performed a spell to remove the scribbles and now we've probably made a discovery. What would've been stopping the Aurors?" Albus cocked his head to the side thoughtfully, as he pondered upon Scorpius' words. He was right, in a way, and they both automatically turned to Rose for an answer.

"What are you looking at me for?" she asked.

"You're kind of the 'solve-it' person here. Solve it." Albus said.

"You really think it's as simple as that? And 'solve-it' person? That's a lot of pressure!" Rose exclaimed.

Albus sighed. "Come on, Rose. You're really smart, and we know you can think of an explanation. We all know it!"

Rose lifted an eyebrow. "All?" she asked, looking at Scorpius.

Scorpius sighed, but nodded. Rose, looking smug, turned back to Albus. "Yes, I think I might have an explanation for it." She said simply. Albus and Scorpius looked at her, waiting.

"I think we were meant to find it. It seems like Bulstrode knew we would search the Hospital Wing. She took a chance; guessing the Aurors wouldn't check if she made it seem like there was nothing worth checking for." Rose continued. "As for finding and removing the scribbles, it depended on our ability. I'm guessing the note would have appeared to anyone who sat on the bed, since it was the pressure that caused it to fall."

"But what about the scribbles? I guess we weren't supposed to find out what it said." Scorpius said.

Rose blushed and didn't say anything. Albus looked at her, lifting an eyebrow. "What is it?" he asked. "You should tell us if it could help."

Rose sighed. "It won't really help, but okay. The Stain-Remover spell is a third year spell, so she wouldn't have expected us to know it."

Albus smiled. "But of course _you _did. Looks like she underestimated your ability." At this, Rose blushed again and smiled.

Scorpius scoffed. "Anyone could have done it if they practiced. And don't compliment her. It'll just make her ego even bigger. At this point, I don't even know if it's possible!"

Rose snorted. "Says you! You know, you used to be arrogant and obnoxious. But now you're the opposite. You're obnoxious and arrogant!" she said nastily.

Scorpius sighed. "Wow, what a compliment. But I think you should find something nice to say. We're all equals, aren't we? Do a little soul-searching. Maybe you'll find one."

Rose's jaw set. "You must have a really low opinion of people if you consider them your equals." She said snidely.

Albus cut in at this point. "Guys, not now. We literally just made a discovery. Can't you be nice to each other for once?"

"I could say nice things about him, but I'd rather tell the truth." Rose put in.

"Rose, I know I'm talking to you like I'm an idiot. But don't you see? I have to! How else would you understand me?"

Albus butted in again. "Stop it!" he said louder and more forcefully. They immediately shut up, although they continued to glare at each other. "What does the note say?" he said in a quieter, yet more anxious tone.

Rose glanced at it, then frowned. "Don't," she said, looking up at Albus.

"Don't what?" he asked, startled. He wasn't going to do anything.

"No, no," Rose said exasperatedly. "Don't. That's what it says." She said, pointing to the note.

"Don't?" Albus said incredulously, anger growing. "How is that supposed to help at all? How are we supposed to find her with that single word? That can't be all it says! Stop joking!" he said, his voice rising with every word as he yelled at Rose.

Scorpius, seeing Rose's frightened expression, jumped in quickly. "Calm down, mate. She didn't write the note. Stop jumping down her throat." Scorpius grabbed the note, and looked at it with confusion. "That _is _what it says," Scorpius said. "Weird."

This time, Albus grabbed it from Scorpius. He just stared at it, gaping. How did Sapphire expect to be found with this pathetic excuse for a clue?

"Albus, you can't be mad at her. Someone was trying to kidnap her. We're actually lucky she wrote anything at all." Rose said in an attempt to sound soothing.

"I get it, but now we're back to the beginning. We have no idea what to do or where to go." Albus said, frustrated.

Suddenly, Rose grabbed the note back, and stared at the backside, her hand trembling. Scorpius rushed over to her. "Are you okay?" he asked concernedly.

Rose pointed at the back of the parchment. Scorpius appeared to be reading something, and then passed the note to Albus grimly. Albus took it again, hoping against hope that it was more writing from Sapphire. However, the message only confirmed his disappointment. The writing was not Sapphire's, but it caused him to turn pale. In messy handwriting, it simply read:

_Death is awaiting. We will prevail. _


	18. Chapter 18: Revelations

**So sorry I haven't updated in a week! :( stupid homework. well, this chapter is the longest i've ever written, so i hope you forgive me and you're still following along with the story. then again, a weekly upload is actually normal, but whatever. i HATE waiting, so it couldn't have been too pleasant. :P**

**In response to a review, Harry has been working, I've just neglected to show it. Sorry! :( Showed a bit of it here; hope it makes sense now. The Marauders' Map plays a role here, so there's a reason I haven't been showing it. If it was just as easy as opening it up to find Sapphire, there would have been no point to this story. Anyways, I'll try to show more parts with Harry and his plans/discoveries/protection and stuff so you're not as skeptical about it. Enjoy, and sorry again for the wait!**

**Chapter 18: Revelations**

Harry sighed and pulled out his wand. "_I solemnly swear I am up to no good!" _ He whispered for the umpteenth time. Instantly, the Marauders' Map opened up and he could see everyone in Hogwarts. Frustratingly, everyone but Sapphire Todesworth, and whoever was accompanying her. _"Mischief managed!_" He whispered again; the map folding up, although the problem was nowhere near close to managed. How could he have let this happen? Were there no clues?

Harry thought he knew every passage that led to Hogwarts. Unless they escaped Hogwarts...? Impossible. Harry dismissed the idea, as he had already discussed it with Dumbledore, and if Dumbledore assumed the culprit was still in Hogwarts, he should too. But where else could they have gone? As far as Harry knew, the only places that didn't appear on the map were the Room of Requirement and the Chamber of Secrets. And he had already checked both. The only answer left was the forest. Harry didn't know how far it stretched, but it extended off of Hogwarts grounds. However, he knew they established the culprit was still on Hogwarts grounds, so this was rather contradictory. There must have been another secret location in Hogwarts.

Sighing and rubbing his temples, Harry made a note to thank James for giving up his map easily. However, he knew it was not helping in this situation. It seemed that Sapphire Todesworth had simply vanished. But Harry would do whatever it took to get her back. He _hated _when his cases involved children; it made him think of his own kids. After the attack on his family, Harry felt extremely protective of all the students. He was overworking himself, but for a good reason. He simply despised the fact that there was no clue as to where she had gone. He no longer cared for his reputation, although he had known this when he signed up for the job. Harry just wanted Sapphire to be found, with the culprit captured. If it only were as simple as it sounded.

Harry knew he was pushing himself, but this was highly important. Could dark forces be rising again? He felt bad, cancelling all Defence Against the Dark Arts classes for a month, but he knew it was worth it. He wouldn't let another student go, especially one so close to his family. _Albus_, Harry thought. Perhaps he ought to increase security around him? Harry sighed, knowing Albus would hate that, but Al didn't realize how important this was. Eventually, he just decided to stick to the original plan; Aurors around all school entrances. Harry frowned for a moment; Al had the Invisibility Cloak. Then, he shook his head. He trusted Al. Why would he sneak onto school grounds unsupervised?

* * *

Harry turned pale when he read the note.

Yes, Albus had given him the note. Although he wanted to solve this for himself, he too realized when he should stay out of things and get his dad involved. This was obviously some deranged psychopath who would kill everyone in his way, and Albus preferred to live. He also preferred for Sapphire to be found. He knew that as much information as they had, it would not help against the culprit, or Bulstrode in this case. Of course, he had already mentioned his suspicions to his father, who refused to believe that Bulstrode could have been behind this.

"She's a trusted teacher, Albus," he had said. "Professor McGonagall asked Dumbledore himself for advice on whom to pick for the post, and he chose her out of the other applicants."

"But teachers have gotten past you and him!" he had argued.

"Things have changed now; the Ministry has new methods of checking these things." He was left on that note for quite a while, still not feeling reassured. He knew it was her; she had the chance to put poison in the potion!

Their differences aside, Albus knew that Sapphire could be saved if he gave his dad the information he needed. However, this information was not much. He knew that his dad should have known about the threatening note, but that's all it was: a threatening note. Although it upped the Aurors' game, as they brought in many more people and guards all around the school, it did not provide a clue on where Sapphire was, and so they were back to square one. Rose and Scorpius realized this too, as they were very glum after they notified Harry.

"So," started Rose in the Gryffindor common room. "What now?" Albus and Scorpius didn't even need to ask what she was even talking about. Scorpius, along with Rose, turned to look at Albus, who felt a slight twinge of annoyance. Why were they looking at him? Couldn't they come up with a plan? It was a lot of pressure to have to think of one.

Albus sighed. "I don't know," he admitted. "True, we found the note, but it doesn't help anything. It probably just made people more paranoid."

Rose and Scorpius nodded in agreement. "Where else could we look?" asked Scorpius. "Other than the Hospital Wing, we could only check the window and the ground outside of it, which the Aurors have already done."

"They've also checked the path from there to the Forbidden Forest. At least they have enough sense to realize they're somewhere in there." Rose chimed in.

"Well, they're probably still not going to find anything. The Aurors have been searching all year, and what have they come up with? Nothing." Albus said grimly. To this, Rose and Scorpius had nothing to say. It's not like they could; as there was nothing to reassure him with. At this point, they could only hope.

"Well, it looks like we can't do anything about it now," Rose said sadly. "As much as I hate to admit it, we're stuck. We found the note, but it doesn't help the situation. And now we have no idea where to look for other clues, if there are any, and what to do."

Of course, Scorpius took this opportunity to be sarcastic. "Wow, thanks for the positive view on the situation, Rose. Gives us a lot of hope." At this, Rose simply sighed, too distressed to make a comeback. Scorpius shrank back down, and Albus could tell he felt guilty for being sarcastic now. Well, that was his way of coping, or at least this is what Albus assumed. He needed something to take his mind off of the missing Sapphire and unhelpful discoveries.

* * *

It had been about a week after finding the note; a week where he had been tailed by his Auror friend, Aidan Secretum much more closely. It was highly annoying for Albus, as he was being followed much less discreetly, too, leaving many people staring at Albus like some sort of freak. Well, to be honest he supposed he kind of was at this point. He just sat moved from class to class like some sort of zombie. Well, that's kind of what happens when your best friend goes missing and you have no idea how to find her.

"Now, can anyone tell me about the Locomotion Charm?" squeaked Professor Flitwick. Rose didn't even bother putting her hand up for this, causing Professor Flitwick to look very worried. But obviously, he knew about the situation, and let it go. The other students were worried too, as one tended to get worried when what was considered the safest place in Britain had a dark wizard kidnapping a student. It caused a frenzy, but they weren't as close to Sapphire as Rose, Scorpius, and Albus were.

After a bucket load of homework was poured on them from the day's classes, they begrudgingly headed to the Gryffindor common room to finish it off. Rose finished first, obviously, having completed much of her homework already. While Scorpius and Albus were finishing up, Rose suddenly got up and began to head for the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Where are you going, Rose?" asked Scorpius.

"Just for a walk," she replied. "I think it'll help clear my head."

"Why don't we go with you?" asked Albus eagerly.

Rose smiled for the first time that week. "You're just saying that so you won't have to finish your homework." She said.

"That could not be more true," said Scorpius as he smirked. "Let's go!"

"But wait," Albus said. "Won't Professor Longbottom and that Auror be tailing us?" Rose sighed at this, as she clearly wanted for them to be alone. Suddenly, her eyes brightened again.

"Not if they can't see us," she said mysteriously.

At this, Albus and Scorpius just stared at her. "What in the name of Merlin are you talking about?" asked Albus finally.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Honestly, it's _your_ gift. The Invisibility Cloak!" she exclaimed.

"Ohhh," said Albus and Scorpius in dawning comprehension.

"Wait," said Scorpius. "You're really not going to berate us for the dangers of travelling alone?" he asked incredulously.

"Shut up!" Rose snapped. "And no, I'm not, because I'll be there to protect you guys." She retorted smugly.

"We don't need you to protect us!"

"That's not what you said when we had that duel with Goyle."

"Well, there were no words. See, you fell in my arms."

"When are you going to let that go?"

"When you admit you did it on purpose."

At this Rose's jaw dropped. "I did not do it on purpose! You were there Albus, tell him!"

"How about I tell both of you to shut it and get under the Cloak?" Albus said. While they had been arguing, Albus had already slipped up to his dorm and retrieved it. They grumbled and got under, although Albus had to repeatedly remind them to stay quiet or risk getting caught. Rose would not stop complaining about the uncomfortable amount of space between them. Eventually, by some miracle, they managed to make it outside without getting caught. Albus took off the Cloak and they headed for the lake.

"What do you think Sapphire is feeling right now?" asked Rose reluctantly.

"I hate to be the downer here, but she's probably getting tortured." Scorpius said with a blunt sadness.

Albus' jaw dropped. "Really?" he asked.

Rose sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it, I think he's right," she said as Scorpius smirked at her admitting he was right. "The culprit probably thinks that if Uncle Harry doesn't have the Potestum, he'll know who the hero is at the very least. Which he probably does," she added after a pause.

"Okay, but what does that have to do with Sapphire?" Albus asked.

Rose sighed. "Seriously, Al? You're Uncle Harry's son. Sapphire is one of your best friends. Obviously Bulstrode thinks she would have some information."

"So that's why she kidnapped her!" Albus exclaimed. "But that's not fair! Sapphire doesn't know any more than what we figured out! And what we figured out is the obvious."

"Well, life's not fair," said Scorpius. "Bulstrode is obviously mad, and she thinks that confidential Auror information would be handed down to eleven-year-olds."

Albus wanted to scream. It should've been him, then! Why punish Sapphire when she did nothing. As if on cue, they all collectively sighed, taking in the seriousness of the situation.

"Hey!" said Rose suddenly.

"What?" Albus asked.

"Why don't we visit Hagrid's? We haven't been there in a while and he always has something to reassure us with." Rose said. Albus nodded, knowing Hagrid could make them feel better.

They knocked on the door. Hagrid opened the door and ushered them inside. To this, Albus was surprised. "How did you know it was us?" he asked.

"Well, I've been expecting yeh, ter tell yeh the truth." He admitted. "I know yeh've got a lot goin' on, and I thought yeh'd drop by. Welcome any time, o' course." He said.

"But we broke the rules!" said Rose. "Aren't you worried?"

Hagrid laughed heartily. "Yeh're jus' like yer parents, yeh are. They didn' bother ter follow the rules either and they turned out jus' fine. And I know if yeh did get attacked, yeh wouldn' let 'em get away, would yeh?" he said with a wink to Rose.

She blushed and smiled while Scorpius scoffed. "Don't encourage her, Hagrid." He put in. Rose scowled at him.

"Like you're the best wizard in school!"

"Why, thank you for noticing!"

Albus and Hagrid laughed at their incessant bickering. It had been a while since they felt so light-hearted. Soon, their moods were improved even further when Hagrid regaled them with stories from the past. Although he was old, he still captured their interests with his amusing tales. Most were from Harry's time at school, because they were so entertaining. It was like something out of a book.

"Did I ever tell yeh the time Harry rode a hippogriff? Not jus' that, he saved it too." Hagrid said warmly. After the story, they all smiled at their parents' adventures. "Yer parents were wild ones, really. But ruddy marvellous people." Hagrid concluded. They sat there for a few minutes before Hagrid checked the time. "Blimey! Past curfew already? Yeh should be headin' up ter yer dorms now."

Albus checked the time and found that it was indeed 8:00 PM. They should've been back by 6:00. Quickly, he grabbed the Invisibility Cloak and draped it over the three of them.

"Bye, Hagrid!" he called as they exited the hut.

"Scorpius, move over a little!" Rose whispered immediately.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but if I move over, I'll be outside of the Cloak." Scorpius shot back.

"Exactly!"

"Well, I don't plan on doing so, so deal with it!"

"How can I when your elbow is in my ribcage?"

"You're lucky you have at least that much room! I'm on the brink of slipping out of it!"

"Well, I AM slipping out of it!"

"Okay, then let's just move closer together so we won't be seen!"

"I'd rather be caught than under your arm!"

"Don't pretend you don't love it."

"I'm not pretending! Now get your arm off of me!" At this point, Rose threw Scorpius' arm off of her, as she said she would, throwing them both slightly off balance. Scorpius managed to stay upright, but as a result of moving so quickly, he knocked Rose over, and she fell out of the Cloak. Luckily, there was no one around so she could easily slip back in. _Where the arguing would commence again_, Albus thought as he rolled his eyes.

"Rose, what are you doing? Get back under the Cloak!" hissed Albus, as Rose just sat on the ground at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, staring at the dirt.

"I know dirt is highly fascinating, Weasley, but you're going to have to contain yourself." Scorpius said sarcastically.

"No, you idiots! The dirt isn't what's fascinating; it's what's on it!" Rose said, gesturing to the ground frantically.

Albus and Scorpius leaned over and frowned at what they saw. Well, it wasn't much really. The number "21" was written in a square. But they could tell Sapphire had written it. For one thing, who else would have? And for another, it was her handwriting, still prominent in the dirt even while writing with a stick. The stick she seemed to have used was laying in half; broken, next to the clue.

"But what does it mean?" asked Albus.

"I don't know," said Rose, still staring at it. "But we have to find out. There's obviously a reason she wrote it."

"Just like when she wrote 'don't' on that note?" Albus challenged.

Rose sighed. "Do you want to find her or not? Just accept the clue! You're acting quite ludicrous, you know."

"Fine," Albus huffed, knowing Rose was right. He was just annoyed Sapphire hadn't left better clues. Well, it's not like she could've written a huge letter addressed to them on her hospital bed while her captor stood idly by. They were lucky enough as it was to find these clues.

"So what do you think it means?" asked Scorpius.

"I have no idea," said Rose. "But I'm going to copy it down in my notebook."

"You brought a notebook to Hagrid's hut?" Scorpius asked incredulously.

"I bring it everywhere! It's quite expedient, actually. I use it to note down homework assignments, test dates, and anything important in general." Rose answered in a dignified manner.

"Then why does it have a picture of a hippogriff in the margins?" asked Albus, smirking. Scorpius laughed.

Rose reddened. "It was in History of Magic, and I saw Hagrid showing a group of third years a hippogriff! It looked intriguing, so I drew it!"

Scorpius sighed. "I'm surprised you weren't paying attention in class. What's the world coming to?"

Rose glared at him. "Shut it!" she snapped.

"No need to get rude," said Scorpius, smirking. "But I should've known you carried a notebook on you. Why am I not surprised?"

"Shut it!" she repeated angrily. "And it's coming in handy now, isn't it? Now we can draw Sapphire's clue. There must have been a reason she drew it like this. Why not a circle? A rectangle? Or nothing at all?"

"Ooh, so dramatic," Scorpius said. "And yes, very useful. How could be ever remember a square with the number 21 in it?"

"I'm just taking notes on the scene!" she replied frustratingly. "Like the clue, and the area around it, and the broken twig. I mean, why did she break it?"

Albus shrugged. "I dunno, I suppose I would be angry enough to break a twig if I was being taken captive."

Rose stared at him. "Al, no offense, but Sapphire has a brain. Unlike you," she added afterwards for good measure. "She obviously did it for a reason."

"Well what's the reason, then, Miss I-Know-Everything?" snapped Albus.

"I don't know yet! I'm thinking! Now would you please stop jumping down my throat for everything I say? She's as much my best friend as she is yours, so there's no need to get snappy." Rose hissed in a sudden outburst.

Albus and Scorpius looked at her, mildly surprised. "Sorry," Albus muttered. They watched as she took notes on the scene, staying quiet even when she wrote details they found highly unnecessary, like 'twig broken almost exactly in the middle' or 'twig had leaves on it' or 'surrounding area is muddy'. Realizing it was for good intentions, they shut up for once instead of teasing. Finally, she finished, and quickly slipped under the Cloak. From there, they quietly headed back to the castle, thankfully not running into any trouble on the way. And by that, they meant Filch. Or any professor. Or any Auror. Or the Headmistress. All in all, they were fortunately not caught by anyone and reached their common room promptly.

* * *

Sighing, Rose pulled out her Charms textbook and a roll of parchment from her bag. Albus stared at her.

"What are you doing?" he asked. "I thought we were brainstorming ideas for what Sapphire's clue meant!"

"Of course we are!" Rose answered in a calm demeanor.

Albus gaped at her. "Well, it's kind of hard to believe when you're doing a Charms essay while our best friend is in danger." Rose shot him a murderous look. "Sorry," he mumbled quickly.

"We've been thinking of ideas for the past hour. I reckon it's time for a break since we don't have any more." Rose said.

"You call an essay a break? Is that your idea of fun?" Scorpius asked.

Rose glared at him. "I meant a break from our constant dangerous lives. Plus, this is due tomorrow."

Scorpius and Albus groaned. "I haven't even started it!" said Albus. "I was just too...preoccupied with Sapphire."

"We all are, Albus. But you have to accept that we can also search for clues at this point, and we're doing our best to decipher them." Rose said.

Albus nodded. "Okay, so what's this essay about?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Colour-changing charms." She answered.

"Right, that," Albus said, waving his hand dismissively. He sighed, taking out the necessary supplies as Rose had done.

"Okay, we've got an overload of homework," announced Scorpius.

"Well, that really helps put the situation in perspective, Scorpius!" said Rose sarcastically.

Scorpius sighed and ignored her. "You realize we have to study for a Transfiguration test, practice the Trip Jinx for Defence Against the Dark Arts, finish this Charms essay, create a complex potion and describe its properties, and write about the Goblin Wars for History of Magic? Is that even legal?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "It's possible if you follow a good work schedule. Which you don't. Here, look at my calendar. You can see that it's filled with when I should be doing what. Maybe you should make something out of it."

Scorpius stared at the calendar. "Rose," he began.

"What now? Going to make fun of how long I study?" Rose challenged as she cut him off.

Scorpius shook his head. "No, Rose. 21! 21 written in the square! I think I've figured it out!"

At this, Albus who had been gloomily working on his essay, brightened and looked at Scorpius, as did Rose.

"She wrote 21 in a square, right?" Scorpius started, his question obviously rhetorical. Unfortunately, Rose did not see it that way.

"Yes, she did," Rose said, consulting her notes. Albus and Scorpius exchanged a look of disbelief, but let it slide for the discovery.

"Well, look at your calendar! Look at the 21st. It's surrounded by a square, as are all the other dates. She obviously meant something important about that date!" Scorpius said excitedly.

"But what?" asked Albus, now even more excited at the prospect of a new discovery.

Scorpius shrugged. "I don't know; you can't expect me to have the answer for everything. That's what Rose is for!"

"You think I know everything?" Rose asked, touched by what Scorpius said for once.

"Don't act like it's a compliment, I'm basically saying you're a know-it-all."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"To be honest, I expected Rose to figure this out," said Albus. "She's kind of the solver of the group."

"Well, she's obviously not as smart as she thinks she is," claimed Scorpius. "Must come as a surprise for her."

"I'm not as arrogant as you are," hissed Rose. "But anyways, you wouldn't have solved it if I hadn't shown you my calendar. If I looked at it myself, I could have solved it before you!"

"No you wouldn't! Just admit I got you this once."

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Because you didn't!"

"Guys," Albus interrupted. "Sapphire?"

"Right, right," Rose breathed out and calmed herself. "Well, sorry Al, but I don't know what's so special about that date, and if it's good or bad."

"Maybe she wanted herself to be rescued before then and wrote that date?" Scorpius suggested.

"Maybe...but it seems a little off. I don't know what it could mean." Rose admitted.

"Well, one thing's for sure. We've got to hurry." said Scorpius. Rose nodded.

"Why is that?" asked Albus, as he hadn't looked at the calendar.

"Clearly, you haven't been paying attention to the days, Al," said Scorpius exasperatedly.

Rose finished for him; stating what he had meant simply. "Tomorrow's the 21st."


	19. Chapter 19: The Culprit

**Before you say anything, I am SOOOO sorry I didn't update quicker. Without so much as an author's note? Despicable of me. To make it up to you, I've uploaded ALL ending chapters of this story. Yup, from here to the end, Albus Potter and the Puppetmaster's Plans is over. I thank you if you are still checking this story (I hope you are) but I can't blame you if you're not. I only hope you forgive me. :P Anyways, if you're still here, read on! :)**

**Chapter 19: The Culprit**

Albus stared out the window to the Forbidden Forest. It was another afternoon of Transfiguration with Professor Laxford, and he obviously couldn't concentrate with Sapphire missing, and today being the 21st. What would happen? Was there another attack planned? But on who? They already had Sapphire for some reason; who could they need now? The hero, obviously, but who was it? Albus frowned for a moment...could Sapphire be the...? Albus shook his head. That was ridiculous. Well, it wouldn't be reasonable. If she were, Bulstrode would have found the Potestum already. No offence to her, but he was pretty sure an adult wizard could hold out against a first year who probably didn't have a wand on her.

Or maybe Sapphire was a hostage! Bulstrode could easily threaten to kill her unless the hero was exchanged. Or maybe bait? If the hero truly had a pure soul, he or she would not hesitate to save her; give their life for hers. Albus sighed. Whatever the reason, Sapphire was gone.

"Albus!" Albus' thoughts were interrupted by Professor Laxford, who must've realized he wasn't paying attention. "Are you alright?" he asked concernedly. "You seem to be staring off into the Forbidden Forest..."

Albus reddened. "Umm...no...of c-course not!" he stammered. He was not able to lie under pressure as well as Scorpius or Rose.

"They'll find her, you know," said Professor Laxford in a reassuring voice. "But you know; looking into its depths seems rather...suspicious..." he continued. "It's a very large place; its secrets unknown to all. Very dangerous as well. Lots of places to hide."

Albus nodded absentmindedly. If anything, this "pep talk" was anything but "peppy". Dangerous and places to hide? He might as well have spelled out "Sapphire is dead" in front of him. Professor Laxford gave Albus what he assumed was a reassuring smile, but did not help his mood at all. He instead at least tried to look like he was turning his cup into a hat like Laxford had shown them. It must have worked, since he did not attempt to speak to Albus during the remainder of the class.

"Class dismissed!" Professor Laxford announced. Albus looked at the clock and found ten minutes left. Another student voiced his concerns before Albus, however.

"But, sir," she started. "There's still some time left."

"Well, enjoy it! I've got some business to take care of." He said mysteriously. Not bothering to complain, the students got up and ran out of the class before he could change his mind. Albus hurried amongst them; trying to find Rose and Scorpius to discuss the clues beforehand.

"Hey! Guys, wait up!" Albus called across the hallway.

Groaning, Scorpius and Rose turned around and waited for him to catch up.

"Why the groaning?" Albus asked.

Rose sighed. "Well, it's pretty obvious you're going to drag us into the Forbidden Forest to look for Sapphire.

Albus spluttered indignantly. "W-What? Seriously? I was just going to ask...how the weather was!"

Scorpius and Rose exchanged a look. "You really need to get better at lying, mate. The weather?" Scorpius said, shaking his head.

"Well, it's rainy outside..." Albus trailed off.

"Enough about the weather! Stop being ridiculous, Al. We all know what you want to talk about." Rose said in a tone of finality.

"Okay, so I want to discuss the clues. Any suggestions?" Albus asked.

From Scorpius' expression, Albus could tell he was going to make a biting remark. He was right. "If we had any, do you think we'd be standing around denying talking about the weather?"

"Any helpful suggestions?" Albus asked pointedly.

Rose sighed. "Alright, we have no idea what's going to happen today. That's the most helpful I can come up with, since you're going to go plunging into the forest otherwise."

"I am not! I just want her to be back here; safe again!"

"So do we! But we can't just make history repeat itself again!"

Albus opened his mouth to retort, but looked back at Rose, confused. "What?"

"The story we read about! You want us to go into the Forbidden Forest to save Sapphire and defeat the dark wizard!" Rose said.

"Like...the story?" Albus asked again, looking slightly disoriented.

"Yes! Any reason for the dramatic pauses?" Scorpius put in.

"Do you think...history is repeating itself?" Albus said.

Rose slowly nodded; finally understanding. "You think this date...it's the day where the hero and dark wizard faced off those years ago, and it's happening again today..."

"Is that even possible?" asked Scorpius, sounding slightly scared.

"I guess so..." Rose said. "I mean, it makes sense. But I've never heard of anything like it before."

"Well, that's because it's never happened before. But that doesn't make _complete _sense. History can't just happen again, exactly the same." Albus said.

"It _could _happen; just differently." said Scorpius.

"What do you mean?" asked Rose.

"Wow, the great Rose Weasley asking me the answer to a question!" Scorpius said teasingly.

"Shut up and tell us!" growled Rose.

"Easy, now. It could be a prophecy saying that something is happening again. Like when Voldemort was rising again, there was a prophecy stating that he would come back only to be defeated by Harry Potter." Scorpius said.

Albus gaped at him for a moment; disbelieving to how he had figured out something so simple. "So it's a prophecy, then?"

Rose shrugged. "I suppose so; it seems like the only explanation. There could be more, of course, but let's just go with history repeating itself for now."

"Okay, so let's go!" Albus said eagerly.

"Where, to the Forbidden Forest?" Scorpius asked incredulously.

"Yes, where else?" Albus asked, purely confused.

"We can't just run in there and expect not to be caught! And for three first-years to be able to defeat Bulstrode! And not to run into any dangerous creatures or centaurs! And—"

Albus cut him off. "Alright, I get it!" he said, annoyed. "Then what should we do?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "It's obvious, isn't it? We should tell Uncle Harry about this. He might know what's happening and put a stop to it."

"Like he put a stop to all the other attacks this year?" Albus challenged.

"He's doing the best he can, Al! He's really overworked!"

"Exactly! So why bother him with this?"

"I think this is something he'd want to be bothered with, considering he's been searching for the culprit all year!"

At this point, Scorpius interrupted. "She's right, mate." After a moment, he shuddered. "Never thought I'd say that..."

Rose smacked him at the back of his head. "See, Al?" she continued, ignoring Scorpius' cry of pain. "Your dad will fix it. He's Head Auror, for crying out loud! You've seen him catch dozens of dark wizards!"

Albus sighed, defeated. His dad was a great wizard, no doubt, but something was telling him that _he _needed to go to the Forbidden Forest today. This strange feeling was building up inside of him, but he pushed it down and ignored it.

"So you think we should just sit around and wait for Sapphire to be found?" Albus asked in a weak attempt to change their minds.

"So you think we should keep quiet about what we know knowing that it could save her life?" Scorpius mimicked in a high voice immediately; shooting down Albus' idea.

Albus glared at him. "My voice is not that high."

Scorpius snorted. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Rolling his eyes, Albus turned to Rose and sighed. "So, let's go tell him then!"

Rose beamed, and they raced towards Harry's office to discuss their latest clues and theories.

* * *

Harry reached into his desk and opened up the Map again; knowing it would do no good. However, he had a feeling disaster would strike again soon. Perhaps he would catch someone this time. Harry frowned, thinking about the events that happened over the course of the year. Something didn't add up. And something was at the back of his head; telling him the answers. What had happened during each attack? Harry frowned. Why couldn't he remember each event clearly? He seemed to be forgetting the main sources of information. Come to think of it, what were they? He could barely remember the scene of Sapphire's disappearance...

With a feeling of rising horror, Harry realized where he had heard these symptoms before. It was long ago; from his days at Hogwarts, but they still had the same impact. They had taken its toll. But was it possible? There were many mysteries yet to solve...and the Auror office _had _detected a new source of darkness in this era. He just hadn't expected it so soon. And to be so powerful.

Quickly, Harry wracked his brain, and although getting nothing, he felt a sense of nervousness through his body.

"_I solemnly swear I'm up to no good!_" he mumbled under his breath; everyone in Hogwarts popping up in front of him. He scanned the Map quickly, yet almost dropped it at the sight of one dot, which brought back his memory in a rush.

He picked up his wand, yet simultaneously it leapt out of his hand. It was too late. The dot had breached the security around his office. Harry simply focused on his hands and strained himself. It was time to put his wandless magic to use. However, he knew that as soon as he looked up, it was too late. He felt strangely obliged to stop. Suddenly, everything went dark and the blackness slowly took over his entire body.

This left the Map still open on his desk. Therefore, Harry could not see an "Albus Severus Potter" or "Rose Nymphadora Weasley" or "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy" heading towards his office just minutes later. Therefore, Harry would not be able to see those same three dots heading towards the Forbidden Forest in the time to come, inevitably.

* * *

Albus skidded to a stop outside of Harry's office.

"Albus, wait up!" called Scorpius, still huffing and puffing alongside Rose down the corridor.

Albus rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "Just hurry, so we can finish off this whole problem."

"And to think he was the one against it in the first place." Rose muttered under her breath.

Albus glared at her, and then pounded on his dad's office door. "Dad!" Albus yelled from the hallway. "Dad, are you there?" Frowning, Albus tried to open the door, only to find it locked. "_Alohomora_!" Albus hissed; but the door stubbornly remained shut.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Do you think the security in this castle is a joke? Professors aren't going to cast charms on their doors that can be broken by a first-year; and especially not your dad!"

"Well, what do you suggest we do then?" Albus asked challengingly.

"I don't know," Rose said worriedly. "Frankly, I think he would have let us in by now."

"What are you doing?" asked a voice behind them. They all jumped, and turned to see Neville standing there.

"Hey, Nev— Professor Longbottom!" Rose corrected quickly. "We wanted to have a word with Uncle Harry, but he won't reply."

"Yes, I don't know where he's gone either." said Neville, frowning. "I assume he went to the Auror office to work on this whole situation." He added sadly. "Well, enjoy the rest of your day. I'm sure he'll be back tomorrow." With this, Neville turned and headed to his own office by the greenhouses.

Albus turned to Rose and Scorpius triumphantly. _What argument could they possibly have now_? thought Albus.

"You know, we can still tell Headmistress McGonagall. She knows about the other clues and is an extremely powerful witch." Rose interrupted pointedly after seeing the look on Albus' face.

Albus sighed. "Fine," he said. "But we're wasting what could be valuable time."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Let's just go to her office."

They climbed up a few sets of staircases to the seventh floor, and reached the gargoyles outside of McGonagall's office.

Scorpius swore under his breath, and Rose hit him on the shoulder for cursing. Albus, however, was thoroughly confused.

"What?" he asked.

Rose sighed. "Well, you'll probably we happy about this, but we've just realized we don't know the password."

Albus smiled on the inside; now they were getting somewhere. Apparently he was smiling on the outside too, since Rose hit him.

"Oww! Stop hitting people, Rose!" Albus snapped.

"You realize we can ask a professor if we tell them that it's an emergency?" Rose said.

"But who could we tell? Most professors here don't know as much about the situation as your dad or the Headmistress." Scorpius said.

"There's always Professor Longbottom!" Rose said brightly.

Albus groaned inwardly, realizing he was an excellent duellist and was very close to Harry. But somehow, it look like fate ran Albus' way again.

"I couldn't help but overhear," started Professor Laxford, who came from behind them and startled Rose so much that she jumped. "That you were looking for Professor Longbottom? Shame, he's not here, as is your father and the Headmistress. Urgent business, I presume. I believe Harry has finally found out something crucial."

Albus heard almost nothing after "he's not here, as is your father and the Headmistress". He was too focused on what they would do. Rose and Scorpius would _have _to give in now. For once, it turned out he was right.

Professor Laxford walked away, and Albus looked after him, suspicious for a moment. His being there was awfully convenient...Albus shook himself out of those thoughts. _I can't go around suspecting everyone_, he thought. Scorpius interrupted his thoughts, and Albus focused on Sapphire once more.

Scorpius sighed. "Looks like things will be going your way for once, Al. I guess we need to go find her now."

Expecting an objection from Rose, they both turned her direction as Albus raised an eyebrow. "Well? No criticism?"

Rose glared at them. "I'm not cruel, you know. I'm reasonable. And at this point, I guess, we could maybe, sort of, I don't know, try to find her? Oh Merlin, we'll be breaking about a dozen school rules..." Rose trailed off and an expression of horror filled her face as the thought of expulsion surrounded her.

"They can't expel us if we're heroes!" Scorpius said, grinning.

"You're so shallow! Isn't saving Sapphire our main priority?"

"Like you weren't thinking it."

"I wasn't! I happen to actually be considerate; something you seem to be lacking!"

"Would you guys shut it and come on already?" Albus interrupted. Rose and Scorpius, still glaring at each other, simply nodded. "Okay, good. Now, I'm going to run down to our common room and grab the Invisibility Cloak. When I come back, I want you both to stay alive, alright?"

Rose rolled her eyes while Scorpius scoffed, but they both seemed to agree with his idea.

Albus quickly headed to Gryffindor Tower and grabbed the Cloak from his trunk without arousing attention from anyone. Well, it was late at night, so most people weren't up and about. He made his way back to Rose and Scorpius, who were thankfully silent, and threw the Cloak over the three of them. Slowly and quietly, the headed down the castle and exited its safety, in what was no doubt to become a dangerous adventure.

Finally, they reached the entrance of the Forbidden Forest. Scorpius, who was in the lead while Albus took the back to watch for Aurors, took one step in, frowned, and stepped out.

"What's the matter?" Albus hissed.

"Which way do we go?" asked Scorpius.

"Can't we just look around, and-" Albus got cut off by Rose.

"We can't _look around _the Forbidden Forest!" she whispered angrily. "It's not just some famous wizarding site! It spans miles out of Hogwarts with creatures in every corner! We need a definite trail!"

"Well Rose, I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't think Bulstrode put up signposts for us to follow!" replied Scorpius sarcastically.

Albus ignored them and looked at the path leading into the Forest. He knew there was something missing. He absentmindedly stared through the broken branches of the trees and looked for a clue. If Bulstrode was coming in here all year, she would have definitely made a path to get to her destination. Wait a second – broken branches? Why were they broken?

Rose turned to see what he was staring at, and turned to him, baffled. She looked back, but this time a little more closely, and a look of dawning comprehension was written all over her face. It was also mixed with triumph.

"What is it? What did you guys realize?" Scorpius asked, looking between them; seeming completely bewildered.

"Well, it appears my notebook did come in use!" Rose said proudly. "Notice that every other tree has a broken branch on the right. Call me crazy, but I don't think that was natural."

Scorpius scoffed. "Well, clearly Albus remembered the broken stick, so we could've gone on even without your stupid notebook!"

Albus shook his head. "Actually, I just saw a pattern and pointed it out. I forgot all about the stick."

Scorpius scowled. "Don't encourage her!"

"No, I think it was good that she brought her notebook! This just proves I'm right about the trail!" Albus exclaimed.

Rose beamed with pride again, but mostly towards Albus. "Thanks, Al! Now let's get going before Scorpy here raises a stupid point about why he's right even when he clearly isn't."

For once, Albus agreed wholly, and he took the lead with Rose following him; Scorpius grumbling and struggling to stay under the Cloak behind them.

They tromped through many clearings; thankfully going unnoticed for the most part by the animals. However, even Albus knew that an Invisibility Cloak couldn't protect them from all animals. The animals in here came from all over the world and were extremely dangerous. They came extremely close to being revealed to a griffin, at which Rose squeaked in fright before Scorpius clamped his hand over her mouth. Thankfully, it moved away much to Albus' relief. Something that was not appeasing Albus' relief, however, was the fact that Sapphire was nowhere to be found. They must have searched through every inch of the Forest. By now, even Rose had no idea where they were, but she seemed adamant to ignore that fact, though Albus knew this was a major contributing factor to her consternation.

Finally, after Albus tripped over the gnarly root of a tree for the umpteenth time, he just lay on the ground instead of getting up and moving like he did before. Rose and Scorpius stared back; confused.

"What are you doing, Al?" Rose hissed. "Get under the Cloak before something senses us!"

Albus sighed and sat on a nearby rock. "What's the point?" he said miserably. "We were stupid to even come here. I'm sorry I forced you into this. Thanks to me, we don't even know where we are anymore!"

Rose, surprisingly, put a hand on his shoulder, her eyes reflecting her sadness. However, it was not sadness that they had failed, or that they were lost. It was sadness showing her sympathy towards Albus. She finally seemed to understand how he felt. "Albus, we didn't come all the way here for you. We came for Sapphire. Don't give up now; not after all she's been through. I know she wouldn't have wanted us to come in fear that we'd get hurt, but you know she'd appreciate it. She'd owe you her life. Think about _her, _and let's keep moving." She thought for a moment, before adding something else. "Oh, and we're not lost just because we don't know where we are. The trail continues. Bulstrode's getting back somehow."

Scorpius, of course, also had a few wise words to add. "Yeah, great going, mate. Great timing for realizing that this was crazy. Oh well, looks like we'll have to keep going!" he said, grinning; stating this half-joking and half-brutally honest.

It was these words more than anything that persuaded Albus to get back up. All year, his friends had been the one to shoot down his crazy ideas while he persisted, but the tables had turned now. As soon as his misery came, it left; replacing itself with courage and persistence.

"Alright," Albus said, feeling energized. "Let's go!"

They smiled as he threw the Cloak back over them and dragged them even further into the trail. Finally, it seemed to come to an end, but there was nothing to be excited about.

Albus' excitement quickly disappeared. "Well?" he asked incredulously to no one in particular. "What now?" he asked, trying and failing not to let his anger show.

Rose and Scorpius too looked baffled. "I don't know, mate," Scorpius said uncertainly. "The trail ends here."

"Maybe...we should just search around this area? We'll probably find something eventually." suggested Rose. Albus nodded, trying to control his temper. He was trying to use his logic. If Bulstrode used this trail, there was obviously a reason for them to come here. Finally, a noise interrupted him in his thoughts.

"Halt! Who goes there?" a centaur trotted out from behind a tree and looked at him questioningly. "You are young. We do not hurt foals. But what are you doing in our Forest?"

Albus gulped. "I'm Albus Potter, and – "

The centaur cut him off and looked at him in wonder. "I cannot believe I did not see the resemblance! You are the spitting image of Harry Potter! After I lead you out of the Forest, please mention to him that his old professor Firenze still enjoys his company."

Albus barely paid attention to Firenze's words. "Lead us out? You can't lead us out! We've come all this way, and we're not leaving until we find Sapphire!"

"Ah, yes. I have heard of the disappearance of your young friend. Sadly, even under Harry Potter's advice and instruction, I have yet to find anyone here. Bane and the others would most definitely have driven them away if we had."

Albus tried begging him. "Please let us keep searching. We promise we won't bother you and we'll leave as soon as we find her."

Firenze sighed; for this reminded him of another location in the Forest at another time, with another student. "Well, the prophecies and planets do state-" He stopped abruptly and cut himself off. "Yes, Albus Severus Potter, I will let you and your friends pass," he said, his eyes lingering over Rose and Scorpius, though a little longer on Scorpius. "No doubt there will be consequences, but it may be the only way..."

Albus had no idea what he was talking about, but took this opening gladly. "Thank you, Firenze." Firenze turned to trot off in the opposite direction, when Albus stopped him.

"Wait!" Firenze stopped and turned to regard him curiously. "How did you know?" Albus continued, pausing for a moment at seeing his confused expression. "How did you know," Albus repeated, trying to make it clearer this time, "my full name? I introduced myself as Albus Potter."

"Ah, Albus. Many have heard of you." He smiled mysteriously and galloped away, leaving Albus confused. Something told him he didn't just mean the fact that Albus was the son of Harry Potter.

Albus shook it off and turned back to Rose and Scorpius, who were looking off at where Firenze had left them in the wake of the Forest; completely bewildered. They changed their expressions quickly after realizing what they came here for.

Albus looked around; searching through the areas surrounding where the trail had ended off. Behind him, Rose was muttering revealing charms and incantations in hopes of finding Bulstrode's hideout. Scorpius was surveying the area for little clues, like what Albus did when he noticed the broken branches.

Suddenly, Albus heard something. It sounded pure and majestic; beautiful music was playing and drawing him forward. He glanced back at Rose and Scorpius, who were simply staring at him open-mouthed, for Albus had begun to emit a silver glow. He walked forward, mesmerized by the music, and he could hear Rose and Scorpius stumbling along behind them. Frowning, even in this state, Albus noticed that it seemed like they couldn't hear the music at all.

They approached a clearing, and the music stopped as they reached the entrance. However, the light from Albus' body began to glow brighter than ever. He felt powerful; more powerful than he had ever felt in his life. His energy could never run out, and he was invulnerable. Impenetrable. Undefeatable.

Then, the glow from his body began to dissipate, but not from the air. It simply created a path in front of him, and ended in a silvery square with a handle on top. Still glowing, Albus reached down and pulled it. Why he did so, was unfathomable. It was like someone was making him do this. As he reached down into the square, he ironically pulled out a rectangle with a small antenna; one whose mere existence was doubted. After this, the silvery mist vanished as quickly as it had come, leaving a disoriented Albus and a shocked Scorpius and Rose in its wake.

"Umm...Albus?" Rose started hesitantly. "What just...happened?" she said, sounding half in awe, and half-scared. Scorpius, it seemed, could not even bring words into his mouth. He just stood there, gaping at Albus like he was having a hallucination. Then, they noticed the artifact; the one they called the Potestum in his hands, and their mouths dropped even further. This time, even Rose could not formulate her words properly.

"I just...we were...follow...but you...hypnotized...silver mist...POTESTUM?" she finished off her rambling incredulously.

"Please don't look scared," Albus begged. "I don't know what happened! I just heard this beautiful-sounding music, and before I knew it, I was silver. Then...it was like I was watching myself...I felt indestructible. And that silver mist somehow transformed into a trapdoor, and when I opened it...I opened it not because of my own free will," he added quickly, as if this could explain his actions. "I just found the Potestum. I just...I don't know." He finished off, rather lamely.

Scorpius, it seemed, snapped out of his dream-like state after hearing Albus' explanation. "But that means," he started off uncertainly. "That you're the hero? And you have the powers to defeat the Dark Guardians and that creep from your dreams?"

At this, Rose's face turned stony. "Sapphire's note. When it said "don't". She didn't want you to come, even though she knew you'd want to, because you'd find the Potestum."

Albus was slightly confused at this. "But why wouldn't she want me to? I wouldn't use it for evil..."

Rose's face quickly turned pale. "Of course _you _wouldn't. But that means...someone else would."

Scorpius and Albus quickly saw where she was coming from and withdrew their wands. As if on cue, they heard the sound of someone laughing behind them.

"Very good. You children are very intelligent for eleven-year-olds. Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way." The person said.

"Who are you?" asked Albus, trying to sound confident rather than frightened. It was all a trap, and it was his entire fault. Sapphire had even tried to warn them.

"You probably don't know me," he said. A man stepped out from behind a few bushes in the clearing, his wand held carelessly and dangling loosely from his fingertips. Albus vaguely recognized him as the man at Scorpius' house, and he could tell Rose and Scorpius could too.

"So, you're the culprit? You're who was behind the attacks all year?" Albus asked, rather confused. It didn't add up. Many of those attacks would take _inside _knowledge. Inside knowledge he was sure that Bulstrode contained.

The man laughed again. "What, no time for introductions? No matter, I know who you children are. But you don't know me. I am Antares. No last name; that is reserved for _him_. As for the answer to your question, you are correct within your reasoning. I did not do this alone; I had the help of an insider."

Albus felt cold fury at the thought that Bulstrode actually betrayed them. It had been a suspicion all year, but now that it was going to be proved, he could barely contain his anger. "Where is she?" he growled. He repeated himself, but was more specific this time, noting Antares' confused expression. "Where is Bulstrode?"

"Bulstrode?" Antares repeated, an amused expression on his face. "No, no; you have been mistaken, my dear boy. T'is not that woman you speak of. But I think you shall find particular amazement at this revelation. You may come out now!" he called into the trees.

As the figure stepped out, Albus felt his entire body go cold. He could see that Rose and Scorpius too were frozen with shock behind him. He never would have guessed. In front of them was a professor. However, it was not Professor Bulstrode. It was not even Professor Laxford, whom they realized had the opportunity. Standing there, in front of them, was...

Albus could barely get the word out of his mouth. Although he was determined not to give Antares the satisfaction at his reaction, he couldn't help it. In a strangled whisper, Albus managed to get it out.

"Dad?"


	20. Chapter 20: The Fight

**This chapter's extra long. :) Hope it appeases you somewhat for the long wait.**

**Chapter 20: The Fight**

Albus could barely believe the word that came out of his mouth. His dad, the Head Auror who fought against dark wizards every day. His dad, the one who defeated Voldemort, the evilest wizard of all time. His dad, who had been working non-stop all year to keep Albus and the other students safe from dark forces arising. Was that all a lie? But even as these thoughts ran through Albus' mind, he knew it couldn't be true. His dad _despised _the dark arts, and would be disappointed in anyone who took part in it. As Albus gazed into his father's face, he knew this wasn't normal. For one thing, Harry Potter would never join the dark side. For another, he would personally murder anyone who let harm befall his children.

Harry had been working all year to keep Albus _inside_, so he would have scolded, hugged, and overreacted when he saw Albus this deep in the Forbidden Forest; carrying a device that people doubt the existence of, in the company of a dangerous Dark Guardian. But when Albus looked into his face, he saw that it was blank; void of any emotion. What was this? What happened to his father? Albus' throat burned up as he tried to get out the questions his mind burned to ask.

"No doubt you're wondering what has happened to him," said Antares, speaking Albus' thoughts. "Don't worry; it's not _really _him. Of course, it is your father, Harry Potter, but he doesn't know what he's doing."

Albus heard Rose breathe a sigh of relief behind him, and almost jumped with surprise. He had forgotten she and Scorpius were still there. He had even forgotten the reason they had come here: Sapphire. The shock of seeing his father was just so much to take in.

"However, it is not powerful enough," Antares continued. "Though _he _is the most powerful force we will likely encounter, not every wizard is your father," he went on, sounding bitterly impressed against his will. "Every time _he _had overtaken him, he regained some of his sense; enough to realize what was going on. Memory charms aren't as powerful on one like Harry Potter...but that problem will be solved now. With the Potestum, he will be a mere puppet. And _he_, the puppetmaster!"

Albus' jaw clenched. Now, he realized what his father had done all year. Keeping him in the dark; forcing him inside...it was not meant to embarrass him. It was meant so _this _wouldn't happen. It was meant so he would be in the danger instead of Albus. To keep him safe. If Albus ever got the chance, he would apologize at the first chance he got. But now was not that time. Now was the time to try to escape.

Ignoring Antares' words, Albus decided to take a new approach and focus on the reason he actually came. "Where's Sapphire?" he demanded.

Antares' smile widened. "Ahh, your little girlfriend. Don't fret; she's still alive. For now."

"Where is she?" Scorpius demanded from behind him, determined not to show that his words had deterred them.

Antares laughed. "Why, she's right here!" As he said this, a piece of the ground slid open, and a body rose from it. Sapphire's body. Albus felt his insides go hollow as he saw her eyes closed; her body bound with gold ropes.

"She's not..." Rose said disbelievingly, unable to finish her thought. Albus, Scorpius, and even Antares could probably fill in the blank.

"No, she's not _dead_," Antares said in a mock cheerful tone; his voice becoming particularly unpleasant at the word "dead". "Simply in a slumber."

Scorpius looked over her uncertainly. "She doesn't look like she's sleeping."

Antares laughed again. "Slumber had many different meanings, Malfoy. I see you've gone soft like your father."

Albus could hear Scorpius' fists clench, but Rose thankfully butted in before it could get ugly. "What do you mean by slumber?" asked Rose slowly. "She's not sleeping, and she doesn't look unconscious. What exact state is she in?"

"Always one to get to the point, eh? The ever clever one, you are." Antares said, smiling. "True, my dear girl, she is not sleeping or unconscious. Her aura is simply taken away; she has been depleted of her energy by _him_."

Rose gaped at him. "What does that even mean? And who's _he_?"

Scorpius murmured to Albus. "Uh-oh, this is bad. Even Rose doesn't know what that means." Albus realized that Scorpius did not mean this to be rude, but was simply stating that they had no clue on what to do about Sapphire. They simply stared at her, laying on the ground; feeling completely useless.

Meanwhile, Antares took the liberty to get to his own point. "I could go into the specifics of auras, but there really isn't the time. And you are questioning who _he _is?" At this, Antares merely chuckled. "You will find out in due time. In the mean time, please think of him as your worst nightmare."

Albus, whose dreams came back to him in a flash, suddenly realized who Antares meant. Rose and Scorpius must have too, as they remained quiet about it, yet looked frightened.

"Now, enough talk. Let's get down to business." Antares said with a sardonic smile.

Albus made to speak again, but it was difficult while looking at his emotionless father and the lifeless-looking Sapphire. The information they had learned about the powerful man from Albus' dreams and new, dangerous magic did not help the situation either. His confident, clear, voice that he imagined in his thoughts came out quivering and scared.

"W-W-What business? There's no b-business here. You'll r-reverse what y-you did to Sapphire and my father and let us go." Albus stuttered. Even as he said it, he knew he sounded ridiculous. He, along with his two first-year friends, attempting to fight an adult wizard who knew magic that was unheard of?

Antares obviously thought this too, as his voice came out in booming laughter. "Are you attempting to bargain with me? No one does that. Here's what happens. You give me the Potestum, and I won't hurt you, your little friends, your girlfriend, or your father."

Albus managed to get his voice to sound confident this time. After listening to Rose and Scorpius' incessant bickering all year, he had come up with some pretty good comebacks. "Yeah, right! And then you're just going to let us prance off back to school, won't you?"

Antares narrowed his eyes. "You talk as if there will be a fight. But I know you are not foolish, Albus Severus Potter. Surely you want the best for your friends."

Rose and Scorpius stepped on either side of Albus. "Maybe the best choice is not going down without a fight," Rose piped up.

"Yeah, and fighting for the ones you love," added Scorpius, glancing at Rose furtively for a split second.

Antares sighed. "I have truly never met children as reckless and foolish as you. Some might call you brave; others courageous, and the rest, persistent. But I see you for what you truly are. Thoughtless, unwise, pathetic little children who think they stand a chance against what is to come. No matter, let's even out the playing field, now, shall we? You have two, so I will call two. Alcyon, Lyra!"

Two more figures stepped into the clearing; clearly having been listening to their entire conversation. Their faces were twisted with identical cruel looks of sadistic glee. "Ahh, so these are the little children," the woman who Albus assumed to be Lyra cackled. "Well, don't worry; you won't be here for long! Just give us the shiny toy, and we'll run along." Lyra said in a mock baby voice.

"Never!" Albus snarled. "Why don't you just fix my dad and Sapphire, and then we'll run along!"

"So, you like to play games, do you, boy?" said the man who seemed to be Alcyon as he narrowed his eyes at the three of them. "This looks like one you'll have to lose."

Albus' heartbeat quickened. Their chances of winning were slim to none. Scratch that. They were none. Obviously, these were three extremely powerful wizards who knew enough magic to reduce his father to an emotionless person and leave Sapphire in a coma-like state. _His father_. Albus turned to look at him, and realized that if his father was the informant, then...then what was stopping him now? Antares seemed to realize what Albus was thinking, and chuckled loudly.

"Yes, Potter, your father is a valuable tool to us right now. With a snap of my fingers, I can set him against you. But I must say, it is comforting to watch you squirm. However, I do realize it is time to get down to business. We have been chatting for far too long." With this, Antares muttered some incomprehensible words, holding a vial of red fluid that he withdrew from his robes. Suddenly, it turned black, and it wrapped itself around Harry.

Albus' father opened his eyes. However, it was not the warm, comforting glance Albus usually received. It was a cold, unrecognizable look as dismissed Albus, Rose, and Scorpius like people living on a street corner.

"Excellent, Potter," Antares said. Albus took a second to realize that he was addressing not him, but his father. "Now, here is what I need you to do." At this point, Harry turned his body towards the opening where Albus and his friends had come in as if it were automatic. "No, no, no," Antares said, laughing. "Not another assault."

Albus felt a surge of fury at the amount of times Antares had probably done this. "The assault victims are already here," he continued, pretending not to notice the outraged reactions of Rose and Scorpius. "And this time, I want you to _kill_." He finished, seeming to particularly savour that last word.

Without a word, Harry lifted his wand and raised it towards Albus, Rose, and Scorpius. Albus could barely believe it. Even in this state, he could have never imagined his own father using magic on him. Especially a fatal curse. Albus, Rose, and Scorpius all raised their wands and shouted three different spells at him.

However, just as quickly, Antares disarmed all of them in a nonverbal, sweeping motion; while the man Alcyon bound them in ropes. Clearly, he was much more talented than he appeared to be with his thuggish appearance.

"Let us go!" Scorpius yelled furiously as he struggled against the ropes. Rose was trying to escape as well, but to no avail. Albus merely stayed in the same position, unwilling to give them the satisfaction of watching him struggle.

"No thank you, little Malfoy," Lyra jeered. "Now, we're giving you a _nice _death. Wouldn't you rather die at the hands of your father's enemy than us?"

"Let's not get _wrapped _in conversation again," said Alcyon dryly, leaving Antares and Lyra chuckling at his pun.

"Agreed. Potter, won't you attack now? Your son first, if you please." Antares said to Harry.

Harry lifted his wand once more and pointed it straight at Albus' chest. Rose and Scorpius made a desperate attempt at moving Albus out of the way, but of course, it was of no use. Harry raised his wand to strike, and –

He stopped. He seemed to be struggling with himself internally. Albus noticed that the black fluid that had wrapped around him now had a few specks of red in it. His voice was all choked up, as he tried to formulate words that could stop this.

"Al-no!" he managed to say. With this, the black smoke turned completely red rather than the few specks for a few seconds, and Harry pointed his wand towards Antares. "I will never hurt my son!" he snarled.

However, just as quickly as it had come, it had left. Antares had held up the vial which had held the black fluid, and more of it wrapped itself around the black smoke emanating from Harry. Harry's face turned expressionless once more, and his arm wielding his wand fell.

Antares cursed. "He's still too powerful," he said, as Albus felt a surge of pride in his father's ability to block magical attacks.

Lyra smiled wickedly. "I don't think that will be a problem at all anymore, Antares," she said. With this, she reached behind Albus' body and wrenched the Potestum out of his grip. Momentarily distracted by his father's attempt to murder him, Albus could not prevent it. Lyra tossed it to Alcyon, who caught it and waved it in front of all three of their faces with a sneer.

"End of the line now, children," Alcyon said. "Your father cannot fight back now."

And with a rising feeling of horror in his chest, the three Dark Guardians barely heard the loud "NO!'s" that escaped from all three of their mouths. For Alcyon, wielding the Potestum, had uttered "Nutus". For the Potestum had emitted an orb of light taking its path to Harry. For it impacted Harry on contact, and erupted into his chest.

Albus stared, disbelieving as to what happened. What had that book said? As if his memory had opened up to him, he remembered the words: _This means they lose their brain to the user; all that will be on their mind is the user's bidding, and nothing else. The victim would kill his own family member if asked to. The only way to end this would be for the user to be killed._

Well, Albus didn't see anyone going to kill Alcyon anytime soon. Even if he was freed, Albus would never be able to bring himself to take someone's life. And now...his father wouldn't even be able to fight it off anymore. Albus tried to blink back tears as his father, looking much more ruthless now, stepped in front of them. Nothing would be stopping him now, Albus realized, as he heard Rose let out a low whimper. Harry lifted his wand and opened his mouth, but then –

"Expelliarmous!" cried a familiar voice; interrupting Harry's assault for the third time. Harry's wand flew out of his hand. Albus felt a wave of relief come over him as he saw his brother James along with Neville. He even saw Bulstrode and Laxford come out behind them so as to help. Albus almost felt like laughing at the irony. James' face went white with shock when he saw Harry standing over the three of them, but realizing the direness of the situation; he quickly reached for his wand and unwillingly pointed it at his own father.

"D-Dad?" James asked. "Is it really you?"

Albus answered before anyone else could. "No, he's like, _hypnotized _by them or something! He tried to kill me!"

"Now, now, James," Antares piped up. "You wouldn't hurt your old man, would you?"

James looked skeptical, but decided to point it at Antares instead. Clearly, James realized that although his father was "hypnotized", he was probably still much more powerful than him.

Meanwhile, Neville, Bulstrode, and Laxford locked themselves in combat with Alcyon and Lyra. Obviously, they were unwilling to hex Harry as well; something Antares was taking great pleasure in.

"What, unwilling to harm an old friend? Well, the feeling is definitely not mutual." He said gleefully. "Attack them, Potter!"

With this, Harry raised his wand and uttered many different incantations. Albus' eyes widened as he saw them. Many of them looked lethal. Sometimes he forgot how truly powerful his dad was, but he was clearly someone you didn't want to make an enemy of.

Neville managed to block of most of them; clearly much more aware of this attack unlike the one at the greenhouse. Now was the time he brought out his excellent duelling skills. Neville quickly shot a special type of spell; one that follows the target. It hit Harry, but it only froze him momentarily. Albus could see that it would wear off in a few minutes.

Antares made to recover him, but James quickly shot a Body-Binding spell towards him. Antares ducked with ease, and laughed disdainfully. "I would never lose to the likes of the Potter family," he spat, putting a certain emphasis on "Potter". "You're nothing but a bunch of cowards – "

He got himself cut off when Bulstrode sent a jinx his way that knocked him into a tree trunk. She really was a Slytherin; she didn't wait until he was finished and didn't care if she had to attack him from behind.

As Antares fell, Albus noticed two vials fall out of his robes. One was the vial that he had used and turned to odd black fluid (although the remaining fluid was red again). The other one was a calm, ocean-blue; one that reminded Albus oddly of Sapphire's eyes. _Sapphire_, Albus thought. She was still lying on the ground.

Albus breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she wasn't trampled or hit with any jinxes. Yet. He had to get someone's attention so he, Rose, and Scorpius would be free of their bindings.

"Oi! James! OI!" Albus practically shouted; trying to be subtle enough for James to hear him but not for Lyra, Alcyon, or Antares to realize. Unfortunately, he was too loud.

"Sorry, Potter," Alcyon sneered. "No one can save you now." He sent a Stunner towards James, who barely managed to dodge.

Laxford immediately began duelling Alcyon again; both using extremely advanced hexes.

"Save yourself, James!" Neville called. "Free Albus, Rose, and Scorpius, and then escape! Take Sapphire too, if you can!"

"What about my dad?" James yelled back.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine! We'll fix him!" Neville called back confidently, although he sounded a little unsure.

James ran over to the three of them, and after uttering "Reducto!" three times, to each of them in turn, he helped them up and grabbed their wands from where Antares had carelessly left them.

"How did you get yourself into this one, Al?" James asked, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "Very inappropriate behaviour; against the rules, too! And you too Miss Weasley! I suppose you wanted Malfoy to protect you again?"

Rose turned red. "Shut up and give me my wand!"

"She's got a temper on her," James said as he grinned mischievously; handing Albus and Scorpius their wands. "So anyways," he said airily, as if they were not in the middle of a battleground. "Neville says we should make a run for it. What do you think, Al?"

Albus thought for a moment. None of this would have happened if it weren't for him. If he'd told his father what he knew instead of being stubborn, they would be in their dorms playing Exploding Snap. All because of what? Trying to fit in? To be like his father; or follow the mischievous ways of James? To make his father proud? What would Harry think of him now? Obviously, he never cared that Albus wasn't a prankster like James. An extremely powerful wizard like his namesake; or a talented Quidditch player (though he was). His father had kept trying to protect him, and now it was time for events to be switched up a little. Not for James, not for his father, not for pleasing anyone. For him.

Albus grinned. "I say we've broken about thirty school rules. What's another?"

James laughed. " 'Atta boy, Al! I'm rubbing off on you! I've never been so proud!"

"Yeah, yeah, let's save the chitchat for later. We've got people to save." Albus said breezily.

James grinned at him, and leapt into the action. Antares, Alcyon, and Lyra were held up by Bulstrode, Laxford, and Neville, and so they did not notice when James began attacking from behind.

Albus caught his eye and quickly mouthed to him, "Who's the Slytherin now?" James grinned but ignored him, since the three Dark Guardians took notice of him and sent a couple of spells his way.

Albus ran towards the tree where Antares had fallen and picked up the vials. Glancing around, he realized that luckily he hadn't noticed. Albus stared at them, desperate for a solution. What was he supposed to do now?

Rose put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not exactly sure what these do, but I think you should give _that one_," she said, nodding her head towards the vial used on Albus' father, "to your dad."

Albus nodded and picked it up. There was little liquid remaining, but he headed towards his father who was still frozen. He uncorked it, and the red fluid remaining trickled into his mouth. His father gave a soft moan, to which Antares finally looked up and noticed.

"No!" Antares screamed, but it was too late. A bright red glow emanated from Harry for a second, and vanished. Harry opened his eyes, surveyed the situation for about half a second, then picked up his wand and started firing spells.

"Albus you've got to get out of here!" Neville shouted at him. "And take James, Rose, and Scorpius with you!"

Albus was confused. Hadn't he just saved his father? But wait. He was firing spells at Neville, Laxford, Bulstrode, and even James. Then it hit him. Obviously, this would reverse what Antares had done. However, it did not reverse the effects of the Potestum.

Albus shook his head, getting back to Neville. "No, not without Sapphire!" he yelled back. Albus picked up the second vial filled with blue liquid, and began to pour it down Sapphire's throat. Here and there, he had to dodge a few spells, but for the most part, he was okay. Mostly because they outnumbered the three Dark Guardians not only in size but in spellwork; excluding Harry.

As if to not let Albus appease his thoughts, Antares withdrew a Muggle device from his robes. Albus forgot what it was called, but it looked kind of like something his grandfather once called a "fellytone", but smaller. Suddenly, there was a great rumbling, and about 20 more people entered the clearing.

Albus' mouth dropped open. How were they supposed to defeat all these people? However, these thoughts were interrupted by something highly important. Albus heard another soft groan, this time female. Sapphire's body glowed bright blue, and then faded as it had done for Harry. Sapphire blinked and opened her eyes, only to see Albus, Rose, and Scorpius smiling at her.

"Sapphire!" Rose practically shrieked as she hugged her fiercely.

Sapphire winced. "Oww, Rose! I just got out of some sort of coma; take it easy!"

Albus grinned widely and he too joined in the hug, later to be joined by Scorpius. For a moment, it was perfect. They were finally reunited. But then Albus realized where they were and what was happening.

"Okay, we can save the hugs for later." Scorpius directed, voicing Albus' thoughts. "First, let's cut off your bindings and get your wand from Antares. Then, we incapacitate all these people and become heroes. Finally, we escape the Forest after your dad chucks those people in Azkaban and the Dark Guardians are finished." Scorpius said.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, that's easy. Anything else, Captain?" she said sarcastically.

Sapphire giggled and leaned towards Albus. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually missed that." She paused and fake-shuddered for a moment, while Albus laughed heartily.

After he stopped, he gazed at her once more; into those stunning ocean-blue eyes he wasn't sure he would ever see again. "I really missed you, Sapphire." He said quietly.

Sapphire smiled. "I did too, Al. But like Scorpius said, it's not the time for that. Let's get me untied and my wand back so I can kick their sorry butts for keeping me here!"

Albus laughed and apprehended Rose and Scorpius before a fight could break out _now _of all times.

"Alright Rose, do your thing!" Albus declared. "The Reductor Curse is high-year stuff, but I know you can do it!"

Rose smiled and nodded. Albus would have preferred if James had done it, to be honest, although Rose was brilliant. Someone with more experience would be helpful, but seeing as James was trying not to get killed right now, they would have to settle for her.

Rose took a deep breath, and then yelled "Reducto!" The ropes didn't move. She frowned, and tried a barrage of new spells. "Diffindo! Incendio! Laceratus!" None of them worked.

"Why aren't they working?" she asked angrily to no one in particular. The golden ropes did not look damaged in the slightest.

Albus shook his head desperately. He had no idea what to do. But for the moment, it looked like he had to defend himself. There were about 20 Dark Guardians in total now, and only 3 professors, James, and themselves on their side. He was feeling completely frantic as he placed his fingers on the golden ropes and willed them to disintegrate. As if it was responding to his touch, the golden ropes turned silver for a moment, and evaporated into gold dust.

Rose stared at him open-mouthed. "That was wandless magic," she stated. "And not just any wandless magic...you managed to do it on powerful dark magic," she continued, still staring at the small pile of golden dust. "How?" she finished quietly.

Albus was shocked himself. "I have no idea," he whispered. "But I guess we should revel in our success for now and worry about it later. Let's find Sapphire's wand!"

They nodded in unspoken agreement, and Rose and Scorpius ran over to Antares, determined that her wand was somewhere in his robes and they could find it. Unfortunately, Albus doubted that Antares would stand still as they searched his robes. As it turned out, he was right, and they had to fight their way through many people before they even found him, let alone search him.

"There he is!" Rose pointed out, as he stood at the foot of a hill smiling at the fight.

"Well, what should we do?" questioned Scorpius.

"Maybe we should blast him backwards?" Albus suggested. "Last time that happened, the vials fell out. We obviously can't stun him, since that's fifth-year stuff."

Sapphire nodded. "Good idea," she began. "But blast him into what? He's standing at the bottom of a hill; the worst that could happen is him falling over and losing his balance."

Albus turned red at realizing this fact. "Well, that's true..." he trailed off, considering their other options.

However, it seemed like their problem was taken care of when a Disarming Charm caught him off guard and resulted in his wand being flown out of his hands. Cursing, Antares reached into his robes and pulled out another wand rather than join the fight. Sapphire's wand.

Sapphire made a noise like an angry cat. "That git is using my wand!? He's going to pay..."

Scorpius put a calming hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, it's easier now. We can just disarm him from behind this bush and join the fight."

Albus raised his wand. "I'll do the honours," he said, feeling high contempt for the man in front of him. "Expelliarmous!" he shouted, as he watched the spell reach Antares. Obviously, since he hadn't expected to be hit by a spell, especially from a random direction, the spell connected and Sapphire's wand was flown towards them. Sapphire picked it up excitedly and sighed.

"After long last...we have been reunited once more!" she said dramatically as Rose and Scorpius laughed. She giggled, but then her face turned serious. "And now it's time for them to pay..."

All four of them jumped out from their hiding spot and joined the fight. Albus was so busy with his own duel he didn't even know what was going on with his friends.

"Expelliarmous!" he shouted, disarming one wizard. However, from behind him, another wizard decided to take a different approach. With a quick motion, Albus felt a fist collide with his back and crumpled to the ground. A sneering wizard stood in front of him; one whom Albus didn't recognize. Albus made to reach out for the wand next to him, but the wizard stomped on his hand hard, cracking his wrist. Albus bit his lip to resist the urge to scream.

Albus tried his hardest to get back up and grab his wand, but the pain now shooting through his arm felt unbearable. The wizard seemed to be raising his leg for a kick, and as Albus recoiled, a distraction occurred before it could connect.

It was a shimmery cat; one Albus recognized as the Patronus of Minerva McGonagall. "_Stay safe," _it said. "_Help is on the way. As Albus Dumbledore once said, help is always given at Hogwarts to those who need it!_" As the Patronus dissipated, a weathered old hat dropped on the ground beneath it. The Sorting Hat.

Albus frowned. How was the Sorting Hat supposed to help them? He looked around, and saw Rose, Scorpius, and Sapphire staring at it in confusion as well. Suddenly, a wizard broke the eerie silence short of spells, and shot a Killing Curse towards Sapphire. Albus opened his mouth to yell, and made an attempt to jump up and push her away, but it was unnecessary. As she recoiled, her fist closed around the hat, and Albus noticed something glittering in it. She too stared at it uncertainly for about half a millisecond, but pulled out the Sword of Gryffindor and blocked the spell.

Albus' mouth dropped open. How could he have been so stupid? His father had told him the tale of killing the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets with it, and here it was. Held by Sapphire. A true Gryffindor. Of course she was, he thought. She endured months of the Dark Guardians and is still as bubbly as always.

Shaking himself back to reality, he realized that he was in a good position. The wizard above of him was gazing at the sword in awe; his foot suspended in the air. Albus took this opportunity to grab his wand with his unbroken hand, and blasted him ten feet away.

This signalled the start of the battle again; which seemed to be taking intervals. Albus disarmed a few more people and body-binded quite a few as well. He was doing much better. He smiled at the thought of making his own name; he would be a hero, like Scorpius said. Although he was joking, it felt good to know that his brother was proud of him, and his father would be too, when this was over. His father. Albus turned suddenly, looking for him. His father was more powerful than all these people put together, and could easily be defeating many.

Almost like it had been planned, Harry stepped in front of Albus. A cruel smile filled his face, and Albus was filled with terror. He recalled something from the book he read again: _The victim would kill his own family member if asked to. _He almost wanted to laugh at the bitter irony, but his voice was caught in his throat. He felt like he couldn't move. Thankfully, Sapphire was there to do it for him.

As Harry made a slashing motion with his wand, Sapphire tackled Albus to the ground so it would be dodged.

"Thanks," Albus said, breathing heavily. "Just got distracted."

She looked at him incredulously. "I would be too; now be more careful!" With this, she slapped him at the back of his head and shot a spell at another wizard. Albus merely shook his head and smiled at her "warm" welcome.

Albus saw Scorpius pick up the Sword of Gryffindor and attempt to use it for blocking like Sapphire did, but he saw him frown and toss it to the ground immediately afterwards. Albus frowned as well. Why did he do that?

Harry had begun to attack the professors again, who Albus was surprised to see were still alright. Clearly they knew much more than they let on. Albus got back up, ready to attack, when he saw something that made his heart stop.

As Scorpius shot a Jelly-legs Jinx at a witch, Lyra wore a cruel smile behind him. As if in slow-motion, he watched as she slashed her wand lethally and a blood-red curse went flying towards him.

Albus opened his mouth to yell "Scorpius, watch out!" but it was too late. It had already been emitted from her wand. As he turned around in surprise, he had no time to dodge. Rose, who had been watching as well, gaped for a split second, but ran over so as to push him out of the way. Scorpius stumbled and fell to the ground, but Rose didn't have the time to move. The spell collided with the area just under her neck, and Albus watched in horror as copious amounts of blood began to spill out of the wound.

Rose gasped for air, while Scorpius looked horrified. He ran towards her, as did Albus and Sapphire as soon as they processed what happened.

Rose lay on the ground, coughing up blood and struggling to stay conscious. As her eyes began to flutter rapidly, she managed to get out a few words. "At least...you can say...I did faint in...your arms this time." She said with a half-hearted smile towards Scorpius as her eyes closed and her breathing slowed.

Albus, who already thought Scorpius was quite pale, went as white as a sheet. "Well, do something!" he yelled crazily at Albus and Sapphire. "Don't just stand there, stop the bleeding! Get help! Something!" he said in a panicked manner as he glanced between them.

Albus and Sapphire exchanged a glance. "Scorpius, we don't know any healing spells." Sapphire said miserably. "But we can get help!" she added quickly after looking at his furious expression.

"Well I – but we – who could – HER!" Scorpius finished in a murderous tone, pointing at Lyra. "SHE DID THIS!"

Lyra grinned innocently, clearly taking pleasure in the pain of Scorpius, Albus, and Sapphire. "Who, me?" she said, batting her eyelashes innocently. "Why would I ever do something so bad?"

Sapphire looked like she wanted to throttle her; Albus probably had never felt so much hatred towards someone in his life, and Scorpius...Scorpius seemed to be in a league of his own. He looked ready to use an Unforgiveable Curse on her.

Albus looked around desperately. His eyes caught onto the Sword of Gryffindor. McGonagall would have given it to them for a reason...the Potestum! He glanced at the object lodged in the fingertips of Antares, who was surveying the situation coolly. Ignoring the rush of anger at the apathy he seemed to hold towards the fight, Albus wondered if it could destroy the Potestum. It did destroy Horcruxes, after all. And it was one of the most powerful weapons known to the Wizard World. He lunged desperately for it, knowing his father could save them all.

Before he could reach it, however, a foot came out of nowhere blocking the path. Alcyon, the other henchman, grinned evilly at Albus before lifting it up and pointing it at this chest.

Albus felt utterly helpless. Rose's chest area was still spewing blood; his friends were being apprehended by Lyra, his brother was lying on the ground moaning, the professors were hopelessly outnumbered and Laxford was motionless, and Harry was still under the influence of the Potestum. What could he do?

Suddenly, anger pulsated through him. How dare the Dark Guardians capture Sapphire? How dare they control his father? How dare they attack his friends and brother? How dare they try to kill him? Albus glowed bright silver; and everyone in vicinity stopped what they were doing and looked at him in awe. Albus felt energized; undefeatable. With the movement of his hands, he pushed all the Dark Guardians off their feet and they toppled over. He laughed as they screamed; he wanted them to feel unbearable pain; the same pain he had been put through.

Antares now looked mildly interested. He lifted his wand and uttered what seemed like the Killing Curse towards Albus. As the flash of green approached him, he grabbed the Sword of Gryffindor and placed it in front of his chest as his friends screamed and James looked at him in horror. The curse ricocheted off the blade, as it had done for Sapphire. For a second, he frowned and the silvery air flickered. The sword had not...felt right. Ignoring it, he blocked another Killing Curse. Not even paying attention to where it went, although he heard a scream, he slowly levitated into the air and began to apprehend the Dark Guardians with ease.

Every spell they shot towards him ricocheted back to them even without the blade; he was invincible. Then, in his half-conscious state, he saw the scared faces of James, Sapphire, and Scorpius. This somehow brought him back to his senses.

He was not a monster. He did not laugh at others' pain. He slowly made his way back towards the ground; the glow dissipating and leaving him drained.

Albus landed on the ground, and looked up into the face of his desperately concerned and frightened father. _The concerned face of his father?_ Albus looked around wildly, thinking it to be some sort of hallucination since his father was under the influence of the Potestum. But no; in the distance, he saw the limp body of Alcyon. So that was who had screamed.

Albus tried to smile at his father's well-being, but realized he had inadvertently killed someone. This, along with the all the other pain he had experienced this night, was making his feelings unbearable.

A dark fog covered up the scene, and as it had occurred with the Potter household during the holidays, the Dark Guardians had disappeared leaving behind only themselves. They disappeared with the Potestum, Albus thought as more rage filled him. At this point, Albus thought he could hear voices as McGonagall leading the Aurors along with his Uncle Ron to help, he presumed. _Too late_, he thought with a wry smile.

After the tiring night, Albus wanted nothing more than to rest and for everyone to be okay. As everyone was carried off to safety (most importantly, Rose, of whom he heard many shrieks in reaction), Albus looked into his father's face and collapsed in his arms.


	21. Chapter 21: Answers

**Chapter 21: Answers**

Albus turned on his side and closed his eyes tightly; immersed in a peaceful sleep. However, it was only to be broken by the sounds of many familiar voices.

"I think he's waking up!"

"He turned on his side with his eyes shut really tightly. Yeah, that totally says 'waking up'."

"Well, it's the first movement from him in hours!"

"Yeah, and it's a sign of deep sleep! Plus I don't know if you've noticed, but people sleep at night, so we are often not awake for many hours."

"Shut up, both of you! Your argument about him waking up could wake him up!"

Someone sniggered. "Oh, the irony."

"Why is he even asleep this long?"

"I thought he fainted from the oh-so-dramatic fright of the duel!"

"Be quiet, James! He did wonderfully; even if he did gain the Potter stupidity!"

"Hey!"

"No offence, or anything, but we all know that it exists."

"True, true. The exhaust must have strained him."

"Yes, but it was extremely powerful magic, so I'm not surprised."

"So you can talk, but we can't? How would this not wake him up?"

"Because we're whispering!"

"No you're not!"

"Well, does it matter? He's not awake, is he?"

"I am now." Albus said, smiling as he sat up in his bed. "Thanks a lot, by the way. _All _of you woke me up." He smiled at the faces of his friends, cousins, parents, and other relatives. Even Headmistress McGonagall and a few of the professors were in here.

"ALBUS!" they all shouted happily. Every single one of them tried hugging him at the same time, which just ended up with a huge dog pile with Albus at the bottom.

"Can't...breathe..." Albus said dramatically, although he secretly enjoyed the attention. They smiled and patted him on the back, congratulating him on his 'victory' as they put it. From what he heard, James was considered a hero too. It seemed the story had been retold countless times by James, but very overdramatically.

"There was never a Chimaera, James!" Albus said, laughing at the absurdity. "And if there was, I highly doubt you could incapacitate it with your bare hands."

James shook his head. "You were probably unconscious. There was _definitely _a Chimaera!" He leaned in a little closer towards Albus and said, "C'mon, Al! We're heroes! Just talk yourselves up and we'll be in everyone's good books!"

Albus laughed again, and smacked James on the shoulder.

"Careful there," warned James. "I was hit with a curse."

Albus frowned. "Was this when you were on the ground? What happened to it?"

James waved it off. "Ahh, nothing. Just a little stiff and bruised. No blood or anything; nothing compared to Ro-" James quickly cut himself off, and looked around at everyone who had suddenly gone silent. They all looked grim, especially Albus' Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, who looked devastated. Scorpius, who was in the middle of recounting the story to Lily and Hugo, stiffened, while Sapphire looked away sadly.

"What happened to Rose?" Albus asked, suddenly frightened. She couldn't be gone...she was the most powerful witch Albus knew. Forget that, she was his best friend for eleven years, and probably would be for much longer!

Harry spoke up uncomfortably. "She's not...gone, Al." Albus breathed a huge sigh of relief, although no one else looked nearly as relieved.

"Then why does everyone look so sad?" he asked; turning to see the grim expressions remaining on everyone's faces.

Ginny took a deep breath. "She's not...awake, either, though." After seeing Albus' expression, she quickly added more to it. "They've given her Blood Replenishing Potions and everything! They closed the wound and managed to let the blood circulate! It's just...she might need some time for her body to realize that! Our bodies are made differently; she was cut off from blood flow for quite a while. We just have to wait."

If this was his mother's way of sounding reassuring, she wasn't doing a very good job. It sounded like Rose had little to no chance of surviving at this point. Now he understood the grim expressions; not knowing whether she was going to make it or not was probably even worse. It was like being given false hope.

Albus, like the others, remained silent for quite some time; unable to process that Rose might not come back. After a few attempts at breaking the awkward silence, one of Uncle George's jokes finally worked and the ice seemed to break. But not for Albus. He joined in half-heartedly, as he could not get the image of his dying cousin out of his brain.

"Well, we should be off now, Al!" said Uncle George merrily in the evening. "Feel better!"

Albus nodded. "I already do! I was just tired. I can leave the Hospital Wing now."

He winked at Albus. "Good, because Madam Pomfrey would have our heads if she knew that around 20 people were in here 'disturbing a patient'. Best be off then!"

Slowly, most of his cousins and their parents left; leaving behind only his parents, Scorpius, Sapphire, and James. Even Lily left, although she did so begrudgingly, since Ginny insisted she needed her sleep.

Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron had left for the special ward Madam Pomfrey opened up in the back of the Hospital Wing to see Rose, along with Hugo. Albus was pretty sure they would stay there the entire night.

"So, Albus, are you feeling tired?" asked his father. "Because we could leave if you are..."

"No, no, no," Albus said indignantly. "I'm fine; just needed my rest."

"Alright, so are you well enough to leave?" asked Ginny.

"Umm...yeah...but I think I'll stay the night," Albus said while glancing over to the bed covered by the curtain.

"She'll be fine, Al," his father said softly. "She's a strong one." At this point, Albus thought Scorpius could use more cheering up than him. Albus took to comforting him as well.

"It's not your fault," Albus said to Scorpius while his father nodded. "She chose to push you out of the way, and it's not like you could control the spell Lyra did." As soon as he said the name, his face had disgust etched in every corner. If he ever found her again, he had sworn he was going to kill her.

"Speaking of which, what happened after I collapsed?" Albus asked, only directing his question towards his father.

Harry shrugged. "Not much. Most of the action was caused by you, actually, so nothing too exciting. Basically, we just rounded everyone up, and-" Harry cut himself off, but sighed and continued, since it would be obvious later. "Al, Professor Laxford...he didn't make it." Harry said, looking away. "There will be a funeral later, and he is to be awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class for his bravery."

Albus tried not to show how upset he really was. Professor Laxford had died...and Albus had even suspected him for a moment. Harry sighed and put an arm around him, trying to comfort him. Albus remained silent, and tried to revel in his success rather than these sad failures.

"What about everything else?" Albus asked suddenly.

Harry was taken aback for a moment. "What?" he asked.

"What was with those vials of liquid...they were different colours...and you both woke up when I poured them in your mouths?" Albus asked.

Harry sighed and rubbed his temples. "Albus, I..." he faltered as he looked around to everyone else sitting there. Sensing that they wanted a private moment, Ginny ushered everyone out of the Hospital Wing, although James complained that he was older and deserved to know.

"Know that I can't tell you too much, but you deserve to know much of what has happened here. James will be told the same things later." Harry said, looking at Albus seriously. Albus nodded, and Harry continued. "Alright, well, I know a lot of things probably confused you about that night." Harry looked at Albus expectantly.

"Yes," Albus said, thinking about the vials of liquid and the golden ropes, and most importantly, his tendency to glow silver.

"I hope you know that even I can't explain some of it; especially your extraordinary feats of magic." Harry continued, "But I will tell you what I know and what I suspect."

"What you have seen here tonight is pure Coronitealogy." Harry said. Albus opened his mouth to ask what in the name of Merlin that meant, but Harry held up a hand to silence him. "Coronitealogy is a term the Aurors made up after what happened yesterday night. What you saw was pure auric energy. Now, I don't know what exactly happened, considering I was...drained during most of it," Albus shuddered at this point, since his father had been downright scary. "But I managed to get James to tell what I hope isn't a mangled version of the story."

"I could retell it if you want," Albus offered, but Harry waved it off.

"Nah, it's alright. I got the gist of it. Now, about those vials. We assume that those contained our auras. Do you know what an aura is, Albus?"

Albus shook his head. He had an idea about what it meant, but he wanted to be completely sure.

Harry continued, unfazed. "An aura is often thought of as the energy-filled glow that surrounds all objects or people. In this case, it was people. That mist surrounding me? It was an aura; but not my own."

Albus frowned. "What do you mean, 'not your own'?"

"Well, what colour was it when you first saw that man Antares take it out?"

"It was red," Albus answered. "Like the Stunning spells you shoot."

Harry laughed and said, "Of course." When Albus looked at him confusedly, he explained. "No, it's just whenever Voldemort and I faced off; his spell would be green and mine red. Just wondering if it's a coincidence, or if his aura was green as well."

Albus nodded, and waited for his father to continue.

"Well, anyways, it was red, right? Did Antares do something to it to make it change colour?"

Albus thought hard; trying to remember exactly what he did. "Yes," Albus said after a moment. "He muttered a few incantations, but I couldn't hear them. Then it turned black."

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment. "Black...interesting. Anyways, Antares drained me of my aura as he did to Sapphire. He kept it in these vials. As an adult, I was able to stay stronger and so I was simply emotionless rather than in a coma-like state like your friend. Although I would have gladly welcomed the latter for what I did..." Harry sighed, and Albus patted him on the back awkwardly. "So with these incantations and probably a few extra ingredients, he diffused his aura into mine. Then, when it wrapped around me, I did what his aura wanted me to. In a sense, he _possessed _me."

Albus shuddered at these words. If someone could do that to "the Boy Who Lived", then he wondered what could happen now with the Potestum. The Dark Guardians could make people willingly give up their auras for them to be possessed.

"It's a scary thought, isn't it?" his father said thoughtfully. "Especially now with the Potestum..." he trailed off for a moment, visibly wondering what might occur. It wasn't until Albus cleared his throat that he jumped and continued. "Yes, well, as for the other odd occurrences, we think they are also a part of Coronitealogy. The golden ropes you described...well ,it seems as though someone managed to pour their aura into an object, creating strong binding magic that would _usually _only stop by the creator." His father said while looking at Albus curiously.

Albus turned red, and mumbled something. "I don't know, I just touched them and it glowed silver and disintegrated into gold dust."

His father nodded. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about, Al. Sometimes it's good to be different. I think that when you managed to disintegrate it, it meant you had an extremely powerful aura. It would also explain your little...tiff at the end." Albus resisted the urge to roll his eyes. What he did was way more than a 'tiff'. It was _scary_.

Ignoring this, he waited for his father to continue once more. "I think your aura is probably the most powerful we have come across."

Albus looked up for a second, interested. "You've come across other auras?" he asked.

Harry smiled. "Yes, they're more common than you may think. Know what the Trace is? Well, it's based off a child's aura. We can tell when they're doing magic because every aura is different, even if some sport the same colour. However, as they begin to age, the vibrancy sort of fades and it usually becomes more comparable to everyone else's, which is why you are considered 'of age' when you are 17." Albus nodded, absorbing this new knowledge like a sponge. "And when you fed me that last bit of my aura? Notice that I wasn't as powerful? Normally, I could take on more people," Harry said. "Not that I'm bragging." He added quickly. "But since I had so little auric energy left, I needed to wait for it to build up again."

Albus nodded in comprehension; finally understanding where his father was going with this. "Now, as for what happened to you...you seemed to have a very unusually strong and powerful aura. When the weight of the situation finally settled on you, your anger flared up and made it even stronger. I think this caused you to go into 'overdrive', and set your wrath upon every Dark Guardian member there." Albus sighed in relief, feeling better. So it was a normal thing after all.

"Oh, no, it's not normal," his father added quickly. Upon seeing the look on his face, he tried to explain further. "Well, it's never happened before. This is just my theorizing. But the fact is, your aura is unusually powerful. I've never seen anything like it, except maybe Dumbledore's. Silver is also an unusual colour for it to take...as is gold, like the ropes. These colours are considered the 'most powerful', if you will. Although I do not work in the Department of Education or Underage Magic, I have seen enough auras in my lifetime to know this. You are different, Albus, but not in a bad way. You're like Dumbledore; a lot more powerful than you give yourself credit for." He finished.

Albus nodded, feeling slightly less relieved and happy at knowing he was different. However, after hearing his father's take on it, he felt a lot better about it and they settled into a comfortable silence.

Harry continued quietly after a while. "Albus, I know many of the problems this year were caused because I didn't tell you enough. I kept you in the dark. It reminds me of another time, with another Albus, whom I also disagreed with. Now, I truly understand his side of the situation. But I admit we were both in the wrong, so...I'm sorry."

Albus looked up at his father in surprise. He was expecting to be told a lot of things, but an apology was not one of them. "What? No, Dad, I'm sorry. I could've told you everything I knew all year and you might've caught them. Rose wouldn't even be in this situation!" he said as Harry winced at that last part. "I just felt like you weren't treating me with respect. James is the Quidditch star prankster, and Lily is the adorable one with lots of knowledge. I didn't feel special, like them, since they had at least one quality like you. I just wanted to be the next Harry Potter to make you proud."

Harry contemplated these words, and then laughed. "Al, I would prefer it much more if you were the first Albus Severus. What's the point of being the same as someone else? Be your own person; do what _you _want. That's what you've been doing your whole life, and I couldn't be prouder."

Albus smiled and he hugged his father. Things were patched up between them again. His father turned to get up and leave, but Albus stopped him with a few words.

"Wait, Dad!" Albus called.

"Yes, Al?" Harry asked questioningly.

"When I was...glowing..." he started awkwardly. "I was holding the Sword of Gryffindor that Sapphire pulled from the hat. But when I held it...something didn't feel right. I didn't feel powerful, and it just...wasn't comfortable. What does that mean?"

Harry stopped and looked Albus in the eyes. "Well, Albus..." he started hesitantly, knowing this could possibly crush his son. "I've only ever heard of one situation where that might happen..."

"And what's that?" asked Albus curiously.

"Well..." he clearly didn't want to word it rudely, and finally Harry seemed to find a way to do so. "Remember when I said a true Gryffindor could pull it out of the hat? Well...someone who belonged to another house wouldn't be able to..." Harry trailed off, still feeling his choice of words was bad, and looked at his son's expression carefully.

Albus contemplated on what he said. Did that mean he wasn't a Gryffindor? Surprisingly, he didn't seem to mind. He had been focused on being like his father, but now he saw the truth to his father's words. Being yourself was far more important than pretending to be someone you're not. "So, do I belong to another house then?" Albus asked. "Which one? Can I switch?"

Harry looked extremely surprised at his reaction, but was glad that Albus had taken his words to heart. He smiled, " 'Course you can; I can pull some strings if we explain it right." Albus smiled back, and his father walked out of the Hospital Wing, leaving Albus to dream in peace.

* * *

The next day, Albus spent the time explaining to his friends everything his father had told him. They looked completely shocked at the thought of capturing one's aura, and impressed when they were told about Coronitealogy. After all, the study of magical energy and auras could be bended in a number of ways after what they had seen. Albus had also told them about the Sword of Gryffindor.

Scorpius was excited, because that's what he felt when he picked it up. He dropped it because it didn't feel right, and after talking to Harry, he and Albus were discussing what houses they would be put in.

Sapphire attempted to comfort him about it, but Albus just waved her off. "I'm fine," he insisted. "I know I really wanted to be in Gryffindor at the beginning of the year, but after talking to my dad, I've realized something...it's good to be different. It just shows you have more individuality." He said, smiling.

Sapphire just shook her head and smiled back. "Well, someone's going all philosophical on us." She said teasingly.

"Hey, Todesworth, good to see you!" said a Ravenclaw first year boy. Sapphire smiled back in greeting and thanked him.

"Good to be back!" she said cheerily. Albus smiled at her.

"Someone's been getting a lot of attention," he teased. It was true. When Sapphire came back and it was heard that the threat had been driven off the grounds, everyone began to cheer for Albus' dad. Harry quickly made it known that he was not the one they should be thanking, but Albus was. Albus turned red at this, as his father explained what had happened, but not going into the specifics of Coronitealogy. He also neglected to mention Albus' power surge at the end of the fight. Albus was extremely happy for this; he didn't need everyone thinking that he was a freak. However, this also made Albus a target for those who wanted to know what happened.

"Is it true that you had them on their knees begging for mercy?"

"Is it true that you had to fight off all the creatures in the Forbidden Forest?"

"Is it true that you went head-to-head with a Chimaera?"

Albus had to laugh at that last one; clearly James had gotten to them as well. James, Scorpius, Sapphire, and Rose had gotten recognition as well. Rose. His heart gave a small pang when he heard her name. They went to visit the Hospital Wing every single day, but Madam Pomfrey ushered them out, insisting that she "needed her rest".

Albus sighed, still trying to convince himself she would be alright. In the meantime, he and Scorpius were heading to the Headmistress' office to do their second sorting. This time, Albus found that there was no pressure at all. This was just a formality; and his dad wouldn't care about which house he'd gotten into. They reached the gargoyles by the office, and Sapphire gave the password since she'd been here earlier to convince her parents and the professors that she was alright. "Cauldron Cake" she said, and the entrance opened up to reveal a staircase which they took up to the office.

Sapphire was invited as well, just so she could watch her friends get sorted. After what she had been through, the professors and Aurors felt it was their fault and usually gave in straight away to her requests.

As they walked into her office, Albus saw his parents standing in the corner and smiling at him encouragingly. James was here as well, probably to annoy him since he was whispering "Slytherin" over to Albus. Scorpius' parents were here as well, although they looked nowhere near as welcoming. Well, Astoria was smiling at him receptively like Albus' own parents, but Draco simply nodded and mustered a small smile.

"Good evening, Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, and Miss Todesworth." Headmistress McGonagall said in a professional tone. "Please take a seat, and the Sorting Hat will do its job." Albus watched as she lifted the dusty old hat from an old bookshelf and placed it in front of them.

"Now, as per tradition, I suppose Mr. Malfoy will go first because of his name." She said. Scorpius took the Sorting Hat and placed it on his head. Although Albus couldn't hear them conversing, he knew that Scorpius was asking why he had been placed in Gryffindor. As the Sorting Hat answered, Scorpius nodded slowly as if in understanding. Finally, after a long time, it shouted "Slytherin!"

Astoria ran over and hugged her son, assuring him that they would have been proud of him in any house but they were extremely happy he was in Slytherin like his father. Draco smiled genuinely, and simply stated "that he knew Gryffindor was a mistake" and that "his son would be at his greatest there".

Scorpius looked happier than he had ever been at his father's comments, though they weren't exactly compliments. Next, it was time for Albus' sorting. He put the hat on his head, and asked the question he had been burning to ask ever since he found out he belonged to another house.

_Why did you put me in Gryffindor?_

The hat chuckled. "Always one to get to the point, aren't we?"

_Well, the point of the sorting is kind of to put you where you belong._

"True, true, but I always have my reasons."

_Mind telling me those reasons?_

"Of course! The little boy I was sorting that day was scared and afraid of living up to his parents' expectations. However, I could tell these would be exceeded in the near future."

_I'm still not following this._

"You've gained the Potter stupidity, haven't you?"

_I'm not stupid! Just tell me the reason!_

"Rude as well..."

_Hey!_

"Alright, alright." The hat sighed. "You were scared...I wanted you to learn to be brave. To accept that one day it didn't matter what your parents did, or what your siblings did, or what your relatives did. What you did is what it will come down to in the end. That is true bravery; that is nobility."

_So...you put me in Gryffindor even though I didn't belong there to teach me how to be a Gryffindor?_

The hat sighed. "I did not teach you how to be a Gryffindor; I taught you to be courageous by accepting yourself as whom you are!"

_I don't understand._

"Big surprise."

_Just explain!_

"Being courageous does not mean you are a Gryffindor. You can be courageous in any of the other houses as well; it just doesn't overpower your main quality."

_And what is my 'main quality'?_

"You tell me."

_I don't know. Hey, is this what you told Scorpius?_

"The Malfoy boy is different. Everyone has a different reason for being sorted, even if it is done wrongly. I will not go into the specifics, as each person's mind is private. But I will tell you it helped him choose the right crowd. What if I sorted him in Slytherin from the start? Would he have joined the Goyle boy?"

_Maybe, I suppose. He was pretty rude to Rose at the beginning, even when he wasn't in Slytherin._

"But he proved himself, didn't he? He learned not to be afraid of what others think; perhaps the greatest fear we all must overcome."

_Ahh, so that's why you sorted him there!_

"T'is one of the many reasons. Anyways, we are not here because of him; we are here because of you."

_I agree. So where do I belong?_

"Isn't it obvious?"

_Well, I suppose I could be in Hufflepuff, but definitely not Ravenclaw..._

"Definitely not."

_Hey! I suppose I was pretty loyal to help my friends, but all this 'realizing who I am' nonsense...it created ambition. I know who I am, or who I want to be, at least. I know that it's okay to be different._

"Well said; perhaps you could join Ravenclaw!"

_Don't confuse me again! Now, that's just what I think. But I want you to decide what's right this time..._

"No problem there. You seem to have come to the same conclusion I have. SLYTHERIN!" the hat shouted.

It took all of two seconds for the room to burst out in different reactions.

"HA! I knew you were a Slytherin!" James said gleefully.

"Wow, you're in Slytherin," Sapphire said appreciatively. "You conquered what used to be your biggest fear. You must feel great!"

"That's wonderful, Al!" his father said, beaming at him. "You really are on your way to becoming your own person, aren't you?"

"Nice job, mate!" Scorpius said appreciatively. "I won't be stuck with Goyle alone now!"

"A Potter in Slytherin?" said Draco, bemusedly. "Never thought I'd see the day..."

Astoria beamed. "That's wonderful, Albus! At least you have each other now!"

Soon his mother started as well. "Oh, Al!" she gushed. "Don't worry, we love you no matter where you go, and we're extremely proud of you. Some of the bravest people we knew were in Slytherin!"

His father smiled at this. "That's right, Al! In fact, I think it's time for you to meet the person you were named after."

Albus had always known that he was named after two headmasters who Harry always called incredibly brave and intelligent. Albus was excited to meet them; since anyone whom his father spoke highly of was almost always impressive. He was especially excited to meet Albus Dumbledore, who many regarded as the most powerful wizard since Merlin.

"Al, this is Albus Dumbledore." Harry said proudly.

Albus turned his head towards an aged wizard with a long, snow-white beard and moon-shaped spectacles. Although he was extremely old, there was something about him that emitted power; showing that his father was right. Suddenly, the name Albus found annoying and old-fashioned seemed a lot better.

Dumbledore smiled at Albus. "Nice to meet you, Albus." He said as he chuckled shortly afterwards. "It is quite strange to speak with someone with the same name as you. Although I must say, it was extremely kind of you to do so, Harry."

Harry beamed at him. "It was the least I could do after everything that happened. And I think it suits him perfectly; he's an extremely powerful wizard, just as yourself."

Dumbledore chuckled and turned back to Albus. "So, I take it you've just had an adventure? News travels quickly when dealing with portraits."

Albus smiled sheepishly. "Yes...Scorpius, Rose, and I went into the Forest to save Sapphire...and my dad too, I guess. But obviously we didn't know that at the time."

Dumbledore surveyed Scorpius and Sapphire as well. "I must say, it is extremely mature of you to forget family feuds." He stated, glancing at Draco and Harry, who both looked away. "I can tell you will do great things."

Albus beamed; this compliment meant a lot coming from him. Just as he was about to respond, a voice with a slight sneer to it came from the portrait next to him.

"Don't inflate his ego any further or he might start acting like his family. Then again, running off into the Forest? Sounds like the Potter stupidity to me." Snape sneered from the next portrait.

Harry, however, completely disregarded the insult and beamed brightly at him.

"Good evening, Professor _Severus _Snape. I'd like you to meet my son, Albus _Severus _Potter."

"You named your son after me!?" came Snape's shocked voice, at the precise moment when Albus had yelled "You named me after him!?" Dumbledore merely glanced between the three after lowering his moon-shaped spectacles, seemingly trying to suppress a laugh.

"Yes," answered Harry simply.

"Well, why?" they both asked again, glancing at the other with annoyance as they did so.

"For the same reason I told Albus months ago on the platform. He was named after the two bravest people I knew, and one of them was a Slytherin." Harry answered with a simple smile.

Snape seemed at a loss for words at a compliment, while Albus just stared, flabbergasted as to how _he _could have been a war hero. Dumbledore laughed this time, clearly not being able to hold it in. "I believe the words you are looking for, Severus, are 'thank you'." Snape just stared at Dumbledore's portrait before quickly and quietly mumbling the words, though barely audible.

"And anyways, Severus," Dumbledore continued. "I think you'll take a liking to this one. In Slytherin, named for you, and what's that? Take a look into his eyes."

Snape looked at him for a moment before gazing into Albus' eyes briefly. "Lily's eyes," he muttered. Albus frowned, confused. But then he remembered that he inherited his eyes from his grandmother. That must have been the Lily he was talking about.

"Well, we must say, it's been wonderful to meet you, Albus!" Dumbledore said cheerfully, as if no insulting had occurred. "Isn't that right, Severus?"

Snape muttered a quick "yes", before looking away and pretending this conversation had never happened.

Dumbledore chuckled and looked at Albus yet again. "I think we'll be seeing each other again soon, being a Potter and all. I wish you luck for the times ahead!"

And with those cheery words, Albus exited the office, followed by his friends and parents; still slightly confused over what had happened.


	22. Chapter 22: Goodbye

**Chapter 22: Goodbye**

Albus took his usual spot at the Gryffindor table. Although he was technically in Slytherin now, he had arranged it so that he could join promptly next year. After all, all his work for house points and Quidditch practices had been put into Gryffindor, so it would be quite saddening to see his work put to waste. Also, he'd rather not give his family and friends a heart attack when he sat at the Slytherin table next year; he'd tell them over the summer. Of course, James' endless teasing would probably give something like this away, but he had somehow managed to convince him not to tell.

Albus frowned for a moment. Something about that night had not yet been answered. How had James found them in the first place? Albus glanced over to where James was sitting, where he was discussing something in anxious whispers with his cousins Fred and Louis, over a piece of parchment.

Albus tapped him on the shoulder and James jumped. "Gee, try not to give a guy a heart attack, alright?" James exclaimed, quickly tossing the parchment over to Louis who was sitting on the opposite side. Louis caught it expertly and placed it in his lap after whispering a few words to it, seemingly trying to look discreet.

Albus narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but overlooked it since he wanted to ask James his question.

"James, I wanted to ask you something," he started. "How did you know where to find me that night?" Albus asked.

James sighed, and held out his hand in Louis' direction. Louis and Fred exchanged twin looks of alarm.

"You're not really going to show him, are you?" Fred asked nervously.

"He could rat us out," Louis added.

James shook his head. "My dad already knows about the Map, remember? And if he didn't take it away, then I don't think it matters. Besides, I think Al deserves to know about this now. Especially since he has an item that could be of interest to us."

Louis and Fred slowly grinned, their smiles filling up their faces. James nodded in return, then took the parchment out of Louis' hand and dragged Albus out to the corridor outside of the Great Hall.

James grinned at him. "Well, you know how dad mentioned a map at Christmas? And how I've been catching up to you all year? That, Al, is all courtesy of the Marauder's Map." With this, James pointed his wand at the parchment, and muttered, "_I solemnly swear I'm up to no good_!" At first, Albus thought he had gone mad, but then gaped at it when he saw a map of Hogwarts along with many passages he never knew existed. However, the thing that amazed him most was the fact that he could see every single person in Hogwarts and where they were on this map.

"B-but how...?" Albus was simply at a loss of words when looking at this item.

"I dunno. I think our grandfather – not Granddad Weasley – came up with this with his friends. Dad told us something like that before. I just remembered it because of their names, the Marauders. Bloody geniuses, they were." James said, looking at the map with pride although he had absolutely nothing to do with the process of creating it. Albus supposed he was proud of his late grandfather.

After recovering from his shock, Albus stared at the map with admiration. Suddenly, something else came to him. "But dad knew you had it. Why didn't he borrow it to look for Sapphire?" Albus said, suddenly angry that the answer had been staring them in the face for months and Sapphire's kidnapping could have easily been avoided.

James rolled his eyes. "Our dad is Head Auror, Al. Obviously he thought of it! He took it from me ever since the attacks started. They just never showed on the map, and obviously dad couldn't catch the culprit because..." James trailed off quietly, suddenly remembering that it was technically his father who had caused all the complications.

Albus sighed as well; thinking of the bad publicity he would get if people found out. For now, the whole situation of 'possessing' someone was under Ministry wraps to keep Coronitealogy a secret. They needed more information on it first to prove that his father had nothing to do with it. For now, the school knew that the Dark Guardians were an ancient cult and three of its members (Antares, Alcyon, and Lyra) were behind the attacks. Of course, Alcyon wasn't anymore...

Albus quickly shook himself out of these thoughts and turned back to James, addressing his other issues. "But if they never showed, then how did you know where to come?"

At this, James solemn moment passed quickly and he laughed. "Al, the entire Forbidden Forest isn't mapped onto this, so we couldn't see them. But, my dear idiot of a brother, I could still see you enter the forest near Hagrid's hut and easily follow your obvious trail of footprints after guessing correctly where you were going, despite your invisibility."

"Oh," Albus said stupidly. He hadn't even been thinking of the muddy grounds.

James continued. "And speaking of that, you up for trades?" he asked.

Albus frowned. "What do you mean?"

James went on. "I've been thinking...that cloak of yours could come in handy later on when Fred, Louis, and I have...things to do." He finished mysteriously.

Albus rolled his eyes. "You mean pull pranks?"

"Sure, if you want the official term!" James said enthusiastically. "Anyways, whenever you want the Map, I'll give it to you, as long as I get the cloak. And if any of us ever needs both, then the other gets both after them. Deal?"

Albus thought for a moment, realizing how useful the Map could be to him. Without so much as a second passing, he stuck out his hand with a grin and said, "Deal."

James smiled excitedly and ran off with the Map; probably to tell Fred and Louis the good news. As he heard them whoop and holler about how easy everything was going to be from now on, Albus smiled and rolled his eyes, knowing he had made a huge mistake. He entered the Great Hall one more and sat back in his seat; to be joined by Scorpius and Sapphire for the departing feast. Headmistress McGonagall cleared her throat, and began to speak as the Hall fell silent.

"Greetings, students. This year had been...interesting. A year of defiance, trickery, deceit," she took a breath and continued. "And loss." At this, she wiped a tear for their beloved Professor Lystan Laxford, as did many of the students. "He was a kind, caring man, though eccentric he may have seemed...he died for a noble cause in the end. I would like to take a brief moment of silence in memory." The Great Hall, already filled with silence, seemed as though it had been magnified. It was definitely the loudest silence any of them had ever heard.

After a minute or so, Professor McGonagall stood up and continued. "But now, we honour his memory as he will receive an Order of Merlin, First Class next week. On a much happier note, I would like to welcome back Miss Sapphire Todesworth, who has been brave all these months." Many of the students cheered, and Sapphire blushed and sank down in her seat. "I would also like to hand out some last-minute points." She finished briskly.

The Slytherins looked confused and started whispering as many of them glanced over to Albus, as they had been in the lead over Gryffindor by two hundred points. Albus smiled inwardly at his father's expression, who seemed to be having the strangest case of déjà vu. He also smiled at the thought that the Slytherins wouldn't be shooting nasty glares at him next year.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat once more, causing all whispering to cease. "For outstanding bravery through tough times, I award forty points to Miss Sapphire Todesworth." The Slytherins clapped although they looked disgruntled out of pure agitation. Little did they know that it was only the start of more points. "For exemplary courage and motivating ideas, I award forty points to Mister Scorpius Malfoy." Again, Gryffindor house clapped heartily for Scorpius. "For amazing services done for this school and willingness to rescue a friend, I award Albus Severus Potter sixty points!" At this, the Gryffindors' whoops for joy had been brought down considerably; not because they didn't like Albus, but because they had come so close to beating Slytherin and they still lost.

However, Headmistress McGonagall seemed to have different plans. "Finally," she said loudly, snapping many of the Gryffindors out of their glum stupor, "I award seventy points to Gryffindor" (at this most of the Gryffindors had gotten up onto the table and began shouting for glee, only McGonagall's glare quieting them down) "for groundbreaking loyalty to her friends; done by Miss Rose Nymphadora Weasley."

Many of the Gryffindors who looked ecstatic just a moment ago calmed down immediately and looked grim; but nowhere near as grim as Albus, Sapphire, Scorpius, and the Weasley family. They still hadn't heard about Rose's conditions. Professor McGonagall sighed and continued. "I am sorry to say that there is still no word on her state," she said, tearing up again. "But we all must remember—"

At this point, McGonagall was cut off by a loud _STEP_! It appeared someone was walking down a staircase, as they continued. When the person entered the Great Hall, everyone was stunned into silence. Standing there, with an extremely familiar bob of wild red curls and a big smile, was Rose Weasley.

Almost instantaneously, all the Gryffindors got up and began to cheer; some running up to her, or some, like the Potter-Weasley family, crushing her with a hug. Some, like Albus, Scorpius, and Sapphire, did both.

"ROSE!" Sapphire practically shrieked; hugging her fiercely. Rose had responded with just as much enthusiasm; Albus had forgotten that she hadn't had the extra week to get reacquainted with her.

"Albus!" Rose exclaimed as well, hugging him. Albus smiled; for he had inexplicably missed her endless intellect and constant bickering and argumentativeness.

What surprised Albus most, however, was the giant hug Scorpius gave her. Sapphire too seemed surprised as she exchanged a shocked expression with Albus. Suddenly, Rose, who realized what Scorpius was doing, and Scorpius, who realized what he was doing, pulled away from the hug just as quickly as it had started.

As Albus exchanged a smirk with Sapphire, Rose attempted to regain her bearings while Scorpius seemed to manage to retain his composure; although both were blushing furiously.

"Um," Scorpius started awkwardly. "Sorry."

Rose nodded, seeming eager to put the whole thing behind her and pretend it never happened, responded quickly. "It's alright." She said.

Scorpius shook his head. "No, I meant about your injury. You jumped in the way and saved me. It was going straight towards my heart. Thank you." He said, clearly uncomfortable at having to thank her.

Rose nodded, just as uncomfortable. "You're welcome," she said. "Just helping a friend."

Scorpius' trademark sadistic smirk soon returned to his face. "So it's official," he said. "We are friends."

Rose rolled her eyes, determined not to let him get the better of her. "Oh, no, I didn't mean you. I meant Albus; I knew it would crush him to see you dead." She said matter-of-factly.

Sapphire sighed and gave Albus an "I knew it was too good to be true" glance. Albus returned it, but they both smiled, glad to see that Rose was back to normal. Her bickering with Scorpius was completely normal and now, strangely reassuring to them.

"Oh, please! Just admit you did it because you like me!" Scorpius said.

"I would, but I'd rather tell the truth!" Rose shot back.

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Wow, I wish I was as great as you _think _you are!"

Rose laughed. "Excuse me, but I just won Gryffindor the house cup!" she exclaimed. "It happened for a reason!"

"Yes, and that reason was that we felt sorry for you! And that's just all the more reason to hate you!"

Rose, who was about to respond, looked taken aback. "What's that supposed to mean? Gryffindor is our house; why would you hate me for winning the cup?"

Albus smiled weakly at her. "Oh, did I forget to mention? We're in Slytherin."

Rose gaped at them, but moreover at Albus. "But why? I mean, I understand Scorpius' need, since he's evil, but you? You were afraid of joining them at the beginning of the year! And Sapphire, are you a part of this too? I can't be stuck alone! And what about Goyle, how are you going to deal with him? And—"

"Rose!" Sapphire exclaimed. "Give us the chance to answer, would you?"

Rose nodded, still out of breath from her outburst and shocked from what she had learned.

Sapphire explained everything to her quickly, making sure she understood everything. "Well, you know when I pulled out the Sword of Gryffindor? Apparently it didn't feel right to them, so they got re-sorted, and it turns out they're in Slytherin. The sorting hat had its reasons for putting them there, but it acknowledges that they should be there," she added quickly when Rose opened her mouth. "They're not there yet since they decided to start off fresh next year, especially after all the points they earned and Quidditch games we won. And I'm still a Gryffindor, seeing as I'm the one who pulled it out in the first place." She finished, all in one breath.

Rose nodded slowly, as this was a lot to take in, and turned back to Albus and Scorpius. As if on cue, Scorpius replied. "And as for Goyle...we can take care of him; am I right Al?" Scorpius asked lightly.

"Spot on, Scorpius," Albus said, nodding. "Besides, Rose, it'll give me a chance to practice my spellwork!"

Rose nodded vigorously, glad to see Albus was taking an interest in studies. "That's great, Al! But don't break any of the rules!"

Scorpius snorted. "Says the girl who broke about fifty with us last week!" Albus and Sapphire both laughed, but Rose merely ignored him and continued.

"Anyways, speaking of schoolwork, what did I miss?" Rose asked.

Scorpius rolled his eyes, and muttered something along the lines of "Of course you'd like to know", but Sapphire took the liberty of answering her question. "Nothing really, just exams. Of ourse, we weren't required to take them but we did anyway—"

Rose cut her off. "I missed exams!? But I wanted to take them!" she exclaimed.

"Why am I not surprised?" murmured Scorpius. Rose glared at him.

"I've been studying for those since a month ago!" she went on.

Albus sighed. "If you really want to take them, then arrange it with Dad or something." He said indifferently.

Rose nodded determinedly. "I better brush up on my studying then; I missed a whole week of work!"

"Well, except for Transfiguration," Sapphire said sadly.

Rose looked at her, confused. "Why?"

All three of them exchanged a glance before Albus told her.

"Professor Laxford...uhh, he didn't suvive the ordeal." Albus said lamely.

Rose mouth dropped open. "But...he..." Apparently, she too accepted this fact after a bit of stuttering, disbelief, and sadness, and soon the moment turned into an awkward silence.

"Well," Albus said, in an effort to change the mood. "Let's return to the feast, shall we?"

* * *

Albus smiled as he dragged his trunk onto the Hogwarts Express, knowing he wouldn't be back for two whole months. He was really going to miss this place, despite all the action that had taken place this year. He smirked as he recalled a conversation with his father when he was little and his dad told him of the stories that he had been through.

"_And that is how Voldemort was defeated," his father finished._

"_Wow! You had so many adventures at Hogwarts, Dad! I wish I could too!" A 9-year-old Albus said._

_His father laughed. "I'd rather you didn't; it was extremely dangerous. I'm sure you'll have a normal, fun time at Hogwarts though, Al."_

_Albus smiled up at his father. "You never know, Dad..."_

Albus almost laughed as he realized the truth to his words. As he got on the train and into a compartment with Sapphire, Rose, and Scorpius, his mind wandered as Sapphire attempted to mediate between the latest argument of Rose and Scorpius.

This year really had been exciting, but dangerous as well. That conversation was scarily true. As Albus pondered upon the events, he found himself regretting he had ever made that wish. He recalled an old Muggle saying that his Aunt Hermione used to tell him when he wished he was better at something, or that something would happen. "Be careful what you wish for, Al," she would say. Albus finally realized what was meant by those words, and smiled.

The ride passed by much too quickly for Albus' liking. Because of all the strange events, he never got to have the lighthearted fun that he craved for. However, the time soon came when they had to step off the train and say their goodbyes.

"Bye, Sapphire!" Rose said sadly as they hugged. "I'll really miss you! You should come visit over the holidays!" she exclaimed.

"You too, Scorpius!" Albus added.

"Now that's crossing the line," Rose said.

Sapphire laughed. "Oh, come on. We're all friends here!"

"Well, there's that too," Rose said. "But there's also the fact that my father wants to murder you since I jumped in the way of a spell meant for you. Well, he would." She added after a moment. "I didn't tell him that, or he would've done it in the Hospital Wing."

Scorpius gulped. "But he can't possibly blame me! I didn't know what was going to happen!"

Albus rolled his eyes. "Don't be so naive, Scorpius. Uncle Ron's not going to listen to logic and reason!"

"He's right!" Rose added brightly.

Sapphire rolled her eyes, and hugged Rose once more. "I see my parents," she said, as she hugged Scorpius next. "I guess it's time for me to leave."

As she stepped in front of Albus, she hesitated for a moment. Rose, taking the hint, dragged a protesting Scorpius away so she could explain to him what was happening.

"So," Albus said, feeling inexplicably warm.

"So," Sapphire echoed. "I just wanted to say...thank you. It really meant a lot that you were willing to risk your life to save mine. It was pretty stupid of you, but sweet." She said, smiling up at him.

Albus' face heated up and he tried to pretend that he wasn't blushing. "Th-thank you." He stuttered.

"No, seriously," Sapphire said with a serious look on her face. "I probably wouldn't have even been alive because of you. You saved me. Thank _you_." With this, she hugged him, sending sparks through Albus' body for some reason. He ignored it and hugged her back, until she let go, waved to him (along with Rose and Scorpius), and walked off with her family; leaving Albus to watch her leave in the distance.

"Soo," Scorpius started. "What did she say?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "That's private, Scorpius. Although you could tell us if you wanted to...?" she asked Albus hopefully.

Now it was Albus' turn to roll his eyes. "He just thanked me. Anyways, Scorpius, isn't that your parents?" Albus said, pointing to a couple looking around the back of the station.

Scorpius nodded, and slapped Albus' hand. "See you soon, mate." He said.

He turned to Rose, who held out her hand awkwardly for a handshake.

Albus scoffed. "Come on, a handshake? We've been hanging out for a year. I think a proper hug is in order." He said, grinning, realizing that Rose had been too shocked to hug Scorpius back when at Hogwarts.

Rose glared at him for a moment, but then, unexpectedly, threw her arms around Scorpius' neck. Scorpius, taken aback, stumbled a little, but regained his composure and put his arms around her as well. For a bit longer than necessary, if you asked Albus, but he didn't say anything. Rose then quickly pulled away, smirked at him, and said "Write, alright? I have no one else to insult all summer."

"You have Al, don't you?" he pointed out.

"Yeah, but you're a lot easier to insult." She said. With this, she flounced off to her parents, leaving Albus and Scorpius along.

"One hell of a year, eh Scorpius?" Albus said, smirking.

"Yeah," Scorpius said rather distractedly and off-handedly; still watching Rose prance off. "One hell of a year."

Albus smiled, slapped his hand again, and they departed in opposite directions. As Albus got into the car, he wondered if his next year would be normal. With one last look at the Hogwarts Express, his thoughts on Scorpius, Rose, and Sapphire, and the events that took place, he dismissed the thought as soon as it came. After everything that happened this year, he determined that none of his school years would ever be normal.

**THE END**

**OMG! I actually finished this story. I feel so proud of myself for actually finishing a book! :):):) Of course, it wouldn't have been possible without my readers. Thank you for the reviews, and I will gladly accept more! **

**For those wondering why I put Albus in Slytherin, I felt like it was too cliche with all of them in Gryffindor. Plus the plot lines can get more interesting, and it's fun to see how other people react to his sorting. Does everyone in Albus' family feel okay with it? ;)**

**Anyways, I hope I can get the first chapter of the next book up soon. I swear, I will try my best not to take a 'brief hiatus' then end up making you wait half a year. I know it's been a while, but I don't give up on anything, as I hope I have demonstrated. I promise you I will continue this series no matter what. I don't care how long it will take. Hopefully, I can get up the first chapter in the next 2-3 weeks. Hopefully. Hope you understand. :) Don't worry; I'll be back...**


	23. Author's Note

Hey again! So, just so I don't leave you completely clueless, I have decided to tell you a bit about Book 2.

Book 2, as of now, will officially be named "Albus Potter and the Diamond of Destiny". Yes, I have a thing for alliterations. xD

I'm sorry if you like action, but this book will not have as much action and duelling scenes; in fact, it will be little to none. Well, there is action, obviously. What's a good book without a good climax? But duelling and attacks and such will probably be nonexistent. Okay, now don't turn away just yet! While those fight scenes may not be as much of an abundance anymore; Book 2 will introduce new characters that will be important to the series. It will also introduce a lot of new plot lines that are HIGHLY significant for later books. All in all, I think it will be a lot more interesting than Book 1 on the whole.

Now, I don't mean 'interesting' like when your friend says "How does my outfit look?" when it's ugly, and you say "Oh! It's...umm...interesting..." :P I mean it really will capture your attention and bring a lot of fascinating elements to the series. I certainly will enjoy this book more than Book 1, but you know. The choice is up to you.

I'll tell you a bit about the plot, but I don't want to give away too much. I'll just make a small list of the important facts in this book:

1. This will be the actual base for future books.

2. Sapphire's life will be affected greatly.

3. There will be some staffing changes due to Book 1's events; maybe or maybe not in Albus' approval.

4. These new staff members will make Albus highly suspicious of their intentions.

5. This year will introduce 'field trips', as is done in Muggle schools.

6. The study of magic will be researched highly in-depth; you will learn a lot more about magic (well, from my perspective and imagination).

7. Albus learns an unbelievable secret about himself; one that will change everything.

That's all I can tell you for now; for all I know, things could have been made extremely obvious! Hope not, though. I want the plot lines to be a complete and utter surprise. Till then, hang on to these facts. I've already said too much, but I can't help it! xD

P.S. - The romantic factor will again, probably be downplayed a bit. They're 12 now, just a bit older than eleven. Also, the plot is pretty fast-paced, so there may not be time for it. However, I do love the couples I've thought of, and there probably will be some of 'those' moments in there. Remember, I've thought this through carefully, and I'll try to sneak some in there. I love the couple-y stuff just as much as you guys do.

Anyways, hope to see you back soon for Book 2! I've already got a chapter outline, and I think there will be 22 chapters again (but I can't be sure; depending on how much I write. I'm trying to average about 3500-4000 words per chapter at the least, and may change the number just so the chapters are long enough). Contrary to most writers, I refuse to take a 'brief hiatus'. I feel that this project will slowly slip away from me if I do so, and I definitely don't want that to happen.

The start of Book 2 will actually probably be uploaded earlier than 2-3 weeks; maybe since I'm so excited. I already have the chapter names and their plots ready. So expect an update soon (but not too soon!), since I can't wait to continue with this series (and I'm hoping you can't either)! :) See you then!


End file.
